Rewiring Your Brain for Positivity

If you’ve seen the recent Disney/Pixar movie Inside Out, you know that the five basic human emotions are happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, and fear – this goes for people all over the world no matter of culture, race, ethnicity or any other variables. What you might notice about the list of emotions, though, is that four of the five are considered “negative” compared to the lone positive emotion (happiness). Why is this the case? From an evolutionary perspective, thousands and thousands of years ago, it likely would have been more beneficial to be hardwired with these negative emotions for survival. Think about it – being afraid, for example, would likely give you a better chance of staying alive in a dangerous environment. Likewise, your body is programmed for disgust so that you will not ingest something that will hurt you or make you sick

Now, think for a moment about how this may impact you in sports and life. We are pre-programmed to feel negatively, and sports and life are the ultimate venues for experiencing ups and downs. So, you may experience a fearful response when placed in “pressure” situations because, if you fail, your ego and self-worth may be harmed. For every mistake, error, or missed opportunity, we get knocked further down the totem pole, while our opponents rise above. We are quick to get angry at poor officiating calls because these again, threaten our social status.

Despite our negative nature, the good news is that we can rewire our brains for positivity. Watch this quick video to learn about the science behind this concept: Neuroplasticity. This process of rewiring your brain takes time and concentrated effort – it will not happen overnight or because you choose to be positive one day. Our negativity is engrained in us and it will be a process to “carve out” a positive path in our brains – but it can and will happen if you commit to it. The next time you are presented with a challenge or a difficult situation, remember that choosing negativity is the easy path. Choose the road less traveled, and make a conscious choice to rewire your brain for positivity. This will probably feel strange at first – but so does anything new – and remember that you are trying to override an emotional response that you were born with. Give it time, and you will see some positive change!