The mind is a mysterious and elusive thing. This list reveals some of the weirdest things about your mind—and mine—and what, if anything, can be done about them.
1. No one knows exactly what the mind is or how the brain creates it.
It's weird that the mind even exists. How does “something as sublime and insubstantial as thought or consciousness…emerge from three pounds of gelatinous pudding inside the skull?” No one knows. Moreover, even though the mind is created by the brain, the mind can operate with some independence from the brain. In fact, the mind can actually change the brain.
2. “Thinking” is the way you talk to yourself.
A useful way to think about thinking is to describe it as the way or ways you talk to yourself. For practical purposes, “thinking” and “self-talk” are the same thing.
3. You can watch your mind at work.
Without tampering with your skull in any way, you can become skilled at mind-watching. Using mindful awareness, "you can stand outside your own mind as if you are watching what is happening to another rather than experiencing it yourself." The “watching part,” sometimes called “the Observing Self” (or “Observing Ego”), is somewhat detached from emotions and can view your thoughts and actions with some impartial objectivity. By contrast, the “experiencing” part of your mind notices sense impressions and has emotional reactions to them.
4. The mind is a wild thing and will run where it will.
Have you ever noticed that your mind can be a three-ring circus? This quote by a Buddhist writer describes the strange things we might see when we look into our minds:
"(Sometime) you will come face to face with the sudden and shocking realization that you are completely crazy. Your mind is a shrieking, gibbering madhouse on wheels barreling pell-mell down the hill, utterly out of control and hopeless. No problem. You are not crazier than you were yesterday. It has always been this way and you never noticed."
It is reassuring to realize that everyone has a “monkey mind” filled with fantasies, stories, wild imaginings, and thoughts both useful and ridiculous. In other words, the mind has a mind of its own. It can’t be controlled, but—no problem—you can learn to manage it.
5. Your mind can change your brain.
Yes, your mind—that is, your thoughts— can change your brain. Odd as it may sound, as you create new thought patterns, you actually rewire your brain. The more you practice a new thinking habit, the more the same neurons will learn to work together and wire together. As neuroscientists say, neurons that fire together, wire together. In other words, “…directed, willed mental activity can clearly and systematically alter brain function.”
What you can do: Deliberately change your self-talk. For example, if you tend to wallow in frustration and anger when you make mistakes, practice telling yourself, “Mistakes are just part of life. I will make a conscious effort to learn from my mistakes.” Or write down the self-talk you’d like to adopt in a given situation, then recite it to yourself when needed.
6. Simple feeling words can calm your mind and change your brain.
Sad. Anxious. Angry. Whatever emotion is causing you distress, recent research shows that labeling it can ease your upset feelings and help you feel more in control. Attaching a label to an emotion moves your brain activity from the fight-or-flight area (the amygdala) to the thinking area (the prefrontal cortex). It’s astounding what even one word can do.
7. Your brain has a negativity bias, but your mind can teach it to be happier.
The term “negativity bias” refers to the brain’s tendency to react more strongly to bad things—dangers, threats, mistakes, or problems—than to good things, such as pleasure, opportunity, and joy. Although the negativity bias has helped humans survive by alerting us to possible threats, it makes it harder for us to relax, enjoy life, and be happy.
Luckily, your mind can train your brain to be happier. Focusing on and experiencing the positive aspects of life actually builds new neural structures in the brain. This is another incredible way that your mind can change your brain for the better.
8. Learning new things changes your brain—even if you're older.
Enriching your mind by learning new things rewires your brain. Specifically, learning causes changes in your “memory campus," the hippocampus, according to research. The effect applies to both young and old. As neurologist Oliver Sacks said:
"Every time we practice an old skill or learn a new one, existing neural connections are strengthened and, over time, neurons create more connections to other neurons. Even new nerve cells can be generated."
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