“Oh, it’s all in your head. You are overthinking; there is nothing a little rewiring of brain cannot fix.” Sounds familiar? We all have heard these phrases more than once in our life. Whenever we feel stuck or think that we cannot function properly, these phrases are common from our friends and colleagues. The emphasis that it is all in our head is because our brain is the primary organ for regulating our body functions, including our cognitive abilities. The field of neuroscience has expanded enormously from understanding the functions of neurons to neuroplasticity and neurohacking techniques. Our brain has 100 billion neurons stimulating different functions of our mind and body, including our emotional and behavioral responses.
Science has discovered mind-boggling functions related to the human brain. Every discovery turns a new leaf in understanding the human brain and developing more techniques to resolve the issues. You must have heard your friend saying, “I wish if I could stop my brain from overthinking.” What if we tell you that it is possible to rewire our brain to enhance our cognitive abilities and replace troubling thoughts? Amazing, right? The field of intervention that has made this possible is called neurohacking or brain hacking. Let’s find out more interesting facts about it.
Concept Behind Neurohacking
It is a subclass of biohacking, with the brain being its primary focus. It is more like hacking the brain and reshaping it to improve reflexes, treat psychological ailments, or learn faster. In simpler words, neurohacking involves using any technology to reshape the brain, nervous system, and body in a way that enhances our cognitive capacity and psyche. Studies have found neurohacking to have life-changing effects on people and offers improved quality of life. You do not have to go through surgery to cut through your skull and fix your brain. Neurohacking is more like do it yourself or push the reset button when you feel that you need a restart.
When we hear the word hack these days, it is more about finding a creative way out through any problem concerning tech, kitchen hacks, business, or financial hacks. Brain hacking or neurohacking is in the buzz these days because of the Silicon Valley techs who can swear about neurohacking and its promising results in cognitive enhancements. The purpose of neurohacking is to improve the connection between mind and body and, most specifically, the impact of emotions on our brain. Neurohacking techniques play a vital role in calming down the central nervous system. When our CNS or central nervous gets overstimulated, it leads to abrupt firing of neurons resulting in a direct effect on some particular brain areas that may trigger negative emotions.
A person may experience symptoms like anxiety, fatigue, or digestive disturbances in a hyperactive nervous system. Our negative emotions can affect our cognition and health. To rewire the brain and instill positive thoughts.
The following are five neurohacking methods:
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Oral supplements
The oral supplements used for mind-boggling are known as nootropics. They occur naturally and are easy to synthesize. Nootropics refer to any chemical that improves the brain’s cognitive functions. Some of the naturally occurring nootropics are American Ginseng and Ginkgo Biloba, known for their beneficial effects in enhancing cognitive abilities and focus. Studies have proved that these herbal supplements have promising effects in delaying or alleviating age-related mental deterioration, thus making them safe for long-term use. Both synthetic and natural nootropics increase the levels of certain neurotransmitters related to cognition to boost brain function. However, these supplements may need time to act and attain their plasma stability in our bloodstream.
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Walking in the woods
Yes, you read it right. When we hear the word neurohacking, it may sound overwhelming, but doing it can be as simple as walking in nature. A Stanford study reports that walking or exposure to nature reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activity (an area of the brain related to cognitive pathway and repetition of negative emotions and thoughts).” The reduction in activity has significant effects on improving the cognitive ability of a person. The study involved a comparison between urban and nature walking. Both had the same physical effects, but the cognitive comparison between the two had evident differences. The study concluded that reduction in rumination resulted in declined negative emotions and improved cognitive functions.
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Tai Chi
One of the most ancient Chinese exercises focuses on an individual’s mind, body, and spiritual well-being. Research from Harvard claims that Tai Chi has a potential role in improving brain function. The study findings report that Tai Chi helps in building the neuro-network patterns in the brain. With the constant practice of Tai Chi, a person’s gray matter strengthens, which controls our muscle memory, emotions, muscle control, sensory perception, and other functions. You do not need special equipment or a laboratory for neurohacking, but these simple practices like Tai Chi improve the quality of life.
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HeartMath
The concept behind HeartMath focuses on calming the nervous system by changing the behavioral patterns of an individual. It is a tool designed for heart-brain-body connection. Many famous institutions like NASA are ravaging the benefits of this technology. This tool is easy to use on your computer or iPhone as it comes in the form of an application named “inner balance.” The app studies report that people who participated in the study had their data recorded before and after HeartMath. The after study says that people showed improvement in their emotional and mental well-being. Consistent use of this application can assist the body in shifting to a more relaxed and healthy state of mind.
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Training exercises
We have multiple exercises, equipment, and thousands of diet plans to follow regarding our physical fitness, but how to train our minds? Since neurohacking is all about rewiring the brain and reshape our cognitive pathways, we need exercises tailored for such purposes. The exercise designed for this purpose is procedural training exercises focusing on strengthening the connection between our neurons. Brain training games have been a thing since the 2000s. Today, we see multiple brain stimulation games promising to enhance our cognitive abilities. Many companies are launching brain games to engage the users and help them practice new skills while enjoying the game. Playing these games reinforces the new pathways and makes our neural connection better for better functions.
Conclusion
The advancements of the modern world demand more information absorption and better functioning of human brains to process complex bits of data. In a world where artificial intelligence has taken over our lives, the human brain requires to increase its cognitive capacity. Rewiring the brain was once a metaphor until we found about neurohacking techniques. Our emotions affect our cognition and our behaviors. People these days are facing different stressors leading to the development of mental health issues and deteriorating cognitive abilities. Whether they are using medicines or therapies, we may need to alter the brain pathways for improved results. Rewiring the brain is easy, and you have to do it yourself without seeing any doctor or a therapist.
