Disengaging Your Brain’s Autopilot

Hello listeners, welcome to The Science of Self, where you improve your life from the inside out. Today is March 1, 2024. In today's episode, we'll be diving into the concept of disengaging your brain's autopilot, based on insights from the book Super Brain by Peter Hollins. You can find more information and resources from Peter Hollins on his website at Bidley slash Peter Hollins. When we talked about routines, we mentioned that creating habits can save your brain some energy. You don’t have to think consciously or even engage with many habits, like brushing your teeth or cleaning your kitchen, and that’s a very useful thing. It saves much effort and allows our brain to focus on other things instead, hopefully, something that brings more value. But this autopilot can be engaged in other situations where it hurts more than it helps. Our brain has regions that activate when we are not engaged consciously with the outside world, for example, when daydreaming or remembering or picturing the future.

This is called the default mode network. In addition to these situations, this is also the active brain network when doing a familiar task or disconnected from an experience. The default mode network can be good for situations when performing a familiar task or are in a familiar environment. However, there are other issues with it. Sometimes, we miss chunks of time when our brain’s DMN is active. We miss experiences and details, and we are not operating at our best. Autopilot can lead to us missing experiences and making mistakes if the situation changes without us being aware of it (Vatansever, Menon, & Samakatis, 2017, Default mode contributions to automated information processing). One of the main effects of an overactive DMN is the sensation that time is going by too fast (and not in the nice, flow-state way) but that nothing is happening. We might describe this experience as being stuck in a routine where every day is the same.

We don’t notice where our days are going, mostly, and feel that nothing is happening. This suggests that we are running on autopilot. We want the autopilot for habits and such to save energy. But when it begins to run most of the time, it’s like we are absent from most of our life. This can be true for people who have somewhat repetitive tasks and functions, and all of us might feel something similar. It brings down our productivity, performance, and overall satisfaction. But how can we kick our brains into gear and counteract the effects of the DMN so it doesn’t end up running throughout the day? Technique #7 Novelty as an antidote to the default mode network. The neuroplasticity of your brain helps it adapt to the current situation.

If you do the same thing every day, if you live through a routine, then the brain adapts to it and usually does it by relying more on the default mode network because it makes sense. But this means we can use neuroplasticity again to our advantage and turn off the state of disconnection. How it connects to the brain - Our brain likes saving energy in the default mode network. It is also shaped by neuroplasticity to adjust to its current environment and behave in ways that make sense for that environment. Constant routines and lack of novelty make the brain engage the DMN more frequently. Novelty and changes in our environment that defy expectations switch the default mode network off to manual mode, because we have to pay attention and react. Here is where novelty can help us significantly to improve our engagement with daily situations. •Novel skills . Learning new skills is a good way of adding novelty to our lives and has the distinct advantage of growing other abilities.

Language learning is one of the best skills we can use, as it can also enhance our neuroplasticity and take our brain’s abilities to the next level (Bubbico et al., 2019, Effects of Second Language Learning on the Plastic Aging Brain - Functional Connectivity, Cognitive Decline, and Reorganization). Learning any new skills is good for the brain and pushes us to pay attention. It maintains interest and offers a way to enhance our experiences further. If we learn a new language, we might gain access to a whole new set of literature, film, and culture, for example, all brimming with novelty, or even to a new field of work or ways to grow professionally and reach positions that require creativity and less routine. •Do normal tasks in an unusual way . You can add novelty and train your brain by performing tasks in new ways. The easiest strategy here is to shift from your dominant hand to your non-dominant hand for tooth brushing, writing, or another mundane activity. Do it in a new setting or using different tools. Don’t do all your work this way, but switching it up for some mundane tasks can push your brain to pay attention.

Besides this, it might stimulate the corpus callosum - the connecting tissue between both hemispheres of your brain (Stockel and Weitgel, 2012, Brain lateralization and motor learning - selective effects of dominant and non-dominant hand practice on the early acquisition of throwing skills). If you always write in your notebook vertically, try writing horizontally. However, such small changes barely require more time can stimulate your attention networks and disconnect the DMN. . •Make a single novel choice. You might remember that your brain favors the familiar over the novel due to a cognitive bias. You will probably pick similar dishes for lunch or go to places you know. However, a good way to cut down on the routine is to commit to making one choice in favor of novelty. Try a new dessert or food you have never had before. Take a different route from work or take a walk in an unfamiliar area.

Go see a film of a genre you usually avoid. Little bits of novelty can encourage your brain to engage with the situation and experience it more deeply, and they help shut off the autopilot (Dean, 2019, The Importance of Novelty). •Play games and solve puzzles . An easy way to add novelty and stimulate our brain is to add a few games and puzzles here and there. You can try mobile apps, video games, brain training programs, and many other ways of accessing them. Games can help keep your brain stimulated and are an easy way to discover new experiences, available even when tired or stuck at home. Games put demands on your brain, which trains some abilities, and can also improve your overall cognitive health in addition to cutting down on the DMN’s functioning (Fissler, Kolassa, & Schreder, 2015, Educational games for brain health - revealing their unexplored potential through a neurocognitive approach). Not all games are made equal - find something challenging rather than too easy, but not frustratingly difficult either. A little novelty can reduce the sensation that you are absent from your life and renew your energy, curiosity, and motivation.

But we can use neuroplasticity even more to work on some of the central skills that underlie essentially everything we do, our decisions, and our ability to succeed professionally and in our relationships. Investing time into executive skills. You might remember that your brain has four lobes. The frontal lobe behind your forehead plays a significant role in our daily lives. It is the control center for all our higher-order functions, such as morality, emotional regulation, and decision-making. It is the area associated with executive skills. Executive skills are those that allow us to exert fine control over our behavior, cut down on impulsive behavior, and avoid decisions that might be good in the short-term but bad in the long term, like gambling all your money away or fighting a man who just insulted you in a bar. Good executive skills are associated with greater success at work, academic contexts, and relationships. Someone with poor executive skills can be visualized as an impulsive person with difficulties controlling and expressing their emotions and problems solving issues by combining information or remembering what they know (Blair, 2017, Developmental Science and Executive Function).

One of the most dramatic cases of executive dysfunction was the case of Phineas Gage, a 19th century railroad worker. By all accounts, Gage was a reliable worker and a family man until he suffered a terrible accident one day. A metal rod was projected through his skull and went straight through his frontal lobes. Gage survived and recovered, but his personality suffered a dramatic shift. Instead of the reliable foreman, he was now an irresponsible, irascible, and profane man reported to behave like an animal, drinking and swearing. He did a complete personality turn due to the damage his frontal lobes received and the damage to his executive functions (Ardila, 2018). On the other hand, improved executive functions are associated with success across different areas. We can find evidence that young soccer players (Vestberg et al., 2017, Core executive functions are associated with success in young elite soccer players) and high school students (Diamond, 2014, Want to Optimize Executive Functions and Academic Outcomes? Simple, Just Nourish the Human Spirit), marital harmony and the ability to get and keep a job (Diamond, 2014, Want to Optimize Executive Functions and Academic Outcomes?

Simple, Just Nourish the Human Spirit; Eakin et al., 2004, The marital and family functioning of adults with ADHD and their spouses), and a healthier lifestyle, are all tied to higher executive functioning. Thanks to neuroplasticity, we can improve these skills and achieve significant gains across different areas of our lives. Even if we start more impulsive, for instance, we have the power to rewire the brain. So, let’s focus on each executive skill in turn and see what we can do to boost this neurological ability and train our frontal cortex to do its job with more efficiency. The number one skill is self-control. Self-control or inhibitory control is the ability to resist the pull of stimuli like emotions, habits, and external distractions and the ability to keep our behavior, attention, thoughts, and emotions focused where we want them. The ability allows us to resist impulsive actions and avoid temptations that could harm us. Self-control is tied to values and skills like perseverance and discipline (Diamond, 2014, Want to Optimize Executive Functions and Academic Outcomes? Simple, Just Nourish the Human Spirit).

How it connects to the brain - Our executive skills, in particular, self-control, are connected to specific areas of the brain. By practicing them so it reinforces the functioning of this area, we can make real change regarding our functioning and make our brain operate differently with basic skills that influence a wide variety of areas in our lives. Technique #8 Training our self-control. Self-control is not always the easiest skill to have. It’s worth remembering that our brain might be more vulnerable to temptation when there is a lot of stress, fatigue, and negative emotion. Some situations can get the best of us. Many feel they do not have enough self-control to resist that one treat or throw a comment that might escalate the situation. But we can train this ability like a muscle. •Meditation.

Meditation is touted to solve different problems, and self-control is not the exception. Meditation is proven to rewire our brains quickly and with cumulative effects the more we practice. Self-regulation can improve with meditation practice, a result seen with kids under five, undergraduate students, and participants over 65 years, which suggests that it’s a practice with broad effects. Meditation seems to improve activation and connectivity in areas of the brain connected to self-regulation (Tang, Posner, & Rothbart, 2014, Meditation improves self-regulation over the life span). Meditation is easy to practice and has proven effects on the brain. Just like taxi drivers were able to make their hippocampus bigger because of their training, meditation can enhance and build the areas of the brain related to self-regulation (Tang, Posner, & Rothbart, 2014, Meditation improves self-regulation over the life span; Maguire et al., 2000, Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers). There is robust evidence suggesting that mindfulness meditation is a good way of increasing self-regulation. Some effects become evident after only five days of practice (Tang, Posner, & Rothbart, 2014, Meditation improves self-regulation over the life span). But most forms of meditation use the same principles.

Meditation involves becoming aware of the present moment and focusing our attention on the present or a specific thing, like a mantra or a thought or an idea. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, involves focusing on the present moment and allowing one’s sensations and thoughts come and go without judgment, without engaging with them. This helps us become more conscious of what we think and how we think and control our negative thoughts and experiences. During meditation, you can focus on your breathing or on the sensations of your body (Behan, 2020, The benefits of meditation and mindfulness practices during times of crisis, such as COVID-19). The specific changes associated with meditation involve increased activity in the prefrontal cortex and lower activity in the amygdala, which indicates a lower emotional activation and better self-regulation. The more you practice meditation, the more these changes become intrinsic to your neural architecture (Behan, 2020, The benefits of meditation and mindfulness practices during times of crisis, such as COVID-19). Meditation is easy enough to start with. Even if you find your mind and awareness wandering, you are still meditating and still getting the benefits as long as you try to focus. The effort is likely to yield additional benefits for self-regulation and rewire your brain for better control of yourself and reduced impulsivity.

•Resisting temptation. Resisting temptation is easier said than done. We can train our self-control muscle by resisting the pull to do something that is not good for us. However, we can also try to add strategies for delaying gratification to better cope with any temptation that comes our way rather than just attempting to push back against the desire. We can use various strategies to enhance our self-control, so we need not rely on willpower alone. This is strategy number 1 - using willpower to just not do the thing. But sometimes, the temptation might be too big, or we might feel too tired. So, what other strategies do we have at our disposal (Milyavskaya, Saunders, & Inzlicht, 2020, Self-control in daily life - Prevalence and effectiveness of diverse self-control strategies)? Walking away from the situation or removing the temptation is an effective strategy in many cases.

If the snacks tempt you, leave the kitchen or put them away into the pantry. To go and surf online before bed, move the phone away (Milyavskaya, Saunders, & Inzlicht, 2020, Self-control in daily life - Prevalence and effectiveness of diverse self-control strategies). The next strategy is to distract yourself. Focus on something else, preferably something that will be fun or involving. Get busy doing work or learning or playing or listening to music. Find an effective distraction that is enjoyable and interesting on its own (Milyavskaya, Saunders, & Inzlicht, 2020, Self-control in daily life - Prevalence and effectiveness of diverse self-control strategies). Another strategy is to connect with your goals or why you want to resist. Is it bad for you? How is it bad?

What is the goal you are pursuing now by resisting? Is there a reason you are doing this? This is a strategy that can help you engage more mindfully with the things that tempt you (Milyavskaya, Saunders, & Inzlicht, 2020, Self-control in daily life - Prevalence and effectiveness of diverse self-control strategies). Finally, you can postpone. Promise yourself that you will indulge later and then do it. If you make a promise to yourself and then break it, this strategy loses effectiveness (Milyavskaya, Saunders, & Inzlicht, 2020, Self-control in daily life - Prevalence and effectiveness of diverse self-control strategies). Research suggests that either strategy can be effective in the right situation, and it’s a good idea to have them in your toolbox. They all help you build effective self-control by influencing the related brain areas in different ways. Emotional regulation.

The second executive skill is emotional regulation. This can be defined as any strategy or behavior that the person uses to alter their emotional state now or in the future, considering aspects like emotional intensity and expression (Charles, 2011, Emotion Regulation). This skill is very important and has a wide-reaching impact on everything from our well-being to our professional goals to our relationships. Learning to control our emotions involves balancing strategies that account for our needs (like emotional expression) and contextual demands (e.g., being professional). Our emotions play a huge role in the brain with structures like the limbic system and the amygdala closely tied to our feelings and how we manage them (Wilms, Lahnwer, & Kastenmuller, 2020 Emotion Regulation in Everyday Life - The Role of Goals and Situational Factors). Technique #9 separating emotions from thoughts . One of the best and most accessible paths to emotion regulation is cognitive-behavioral therapy. Rather than addressing the emotions directly, this approach, with its many practical techniques, targets the way we think, leading to more or less intense emotions. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help us change the brain, and it can directly affect our frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex (Chala & Ayache, 2018, Disentangling the Neural Basis of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Psychiatric Disorders - A Focus on Depression).

We often view emotions as something that happens beyond our control. While they can appear as reactions to what is happening around us, we can also control our emotions, especially how we express them. Eventually, through consistent work, we can even reduce the intensity of our emotions often and be able to avoid impulsive reactions that might hurt our relationships and well-being. Emotions have an important role in our day-to-day life, but regulating them is another skill with a strong neural basis. •Reappraisal . Reappraisal involves shifting the meaning of a situation. This technique is proven to reduce activation in the amygdala. It involves trying to find alternative ways of considering a situation and interpreting it in a less negative way (Moyal, Henik, & Anholt, 2014, Cognitive strategies to regulate emotions—current evidence and future directions). For example, you might experience a lot of anxiety when running late for an appointment.

You can think about this situation in many ways that will evoke less anxiety. Rather than worrying about what people will think and how you blew it, you might consider that it could be a good way to showcase your diplomatic skills. It could be that the appointment is not that important or that you are sure to explain yourself well. You might just let it decide that it has happened so that you may focus on the future. •Labeling . Labeling is another strategy that can help reduce the activation of the amygdala. It involves verbally naming the emotion you are feeling and why you are feeling it. Even if you know what you are feeling, it helps to express and identify it explicitly (Moyal, Henik, & Anholt, 2014, Cognitive strategies to regulate emotions—current evidence and future directions). •Distinguishing between emotions and reality .

Emotional reasoning is an irrational thinking pattern when equating our thoughts with reality. For example, you might feel angry, and through emotional reasoning, it means you were hurt and offended. Or you might think that if you are anxious, then the situation is truly dangerous. But in reality, it’s useful to separate feelings from events, as our emotions are not always objective (Alkozei, Cooper, & Creswell, 2014, Emotional reasoning and anxiety sensitivity - Associations with social anxiety disorder in childhood). Learning to accept that our emotions are subjective and not always a good reflection of reality can help us react less impulsively. First, we look for objective evidence. Is there something here that merits the reaction you are having? Are there other factors that might be influencing the way you are reacting? Distinguish between objective and subjective to reduce the impact of your emotions and regulate them better.

•Distinguishing between ideas and reality . Considering the above, we often interpret things in a certain way. Another common irrational thinking pattern is catastrophizing, which makes us assume that the worst-case scenario will happen. But it hasn’t happened yet, and it’s not likely to happen. The same things can happen with events from the past that cause us regret or situations we imagine are happening (e.g., I think my partner might be cheating on me and react as if it was happening) (Lazaridou et al., 2018, Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on brain connectivity supporting catastrophizing in fibromyalgia). Ask yourself whether there is evidence that goes against your assumption that, say, things will turn out in the worst way possible. Is there another possibility or possibilities? What is the best case scenario? What other things might happen?

Don’t accept your thoughts as facts either - look for evidence against your assumptions. This helps you reduce your emotional intensity and also trains your brain to think of situations in a more nuanced way. These techniques help us improve emotion regulation and strengthen this aspect of our executive functioning. Even though they do not target emotions directly, their effects are very strong and have a positive long-term influence on our brains. Working memory. Working memory is the third executive skill to discuss. It involves the ability to retain the information we need to solve a problem or deal with our situation in our minds. It contains elements from our memory and senses that we manipulate to reach a particular outcome (Cowan, 2014, Working Memory Underpins Cognitive Development, Learning, and Education). For example, imagine that you are preparing a cake.

You need to remember the information from the recipe - which ingredients you need, what amounts you must use, and what order to add them in. In addition, you might need to remember to grab the whole milk, not the almond milk, because of the taste, and pick up the salt from the pantry. All these elements are in your working memory as you work through the recipe. The more elements there are, the harder they are to remember at once, and something might slip your mind. If you have the recipe book open in front of you, you will probably not keep the whole recipe in your working memory, just the current step, and then go back to check it. Writing things down is a good way of easing the load on your working memory that can only keep a few items at a time, and then they are moved to long-term memory or are gone forever. Working memory is hugely important for our brain. It promotes the creation of long-term memory and can also determine our performance in a variety of tasks. Lower working memory capacity can lead to worse outcomes, and it has also been linked to lower IQ measures (Cowan, 2014, Working Memory Underpins Cognitive Development, Learning, and Education).

Technique #10 Extend your working memory . Your working memory likely can operate better in an environment that is well-suited for it. Keep irrelevant information away from your mind while working and focus your attention on one thing at a time. It will also help you avoid cluttering your mental workspace too much besides the memory benefits it has. You can also use aids to help you, like post-its and a notebook or an app to keep your notes there rather than try to cram them all into your working memory space (Brogaard, 2020, Can You Improve Your Working Memory?). However, some researchers suggest there is also a way of improving your working memory. Here, we will be recommending specific types of cognitive training. • north-back tasks. An north-back task is a cognitive task that requires you to remember whether an image being presented appeared in the same position as the one presented before or two steps ago.

You can find games that use the north-back task to create a stimulating experience for your brain and are available for free. For best results, you are encouraged to play it every day for a few weeks (Jaeggi, 2008, Dual north-back). •Memory games . Other memory-based games can also help you train your working memory because they also require you to use this skill. You can find many games online and in apps, and it’s better to start with easier tasks and build up to more challenging options. You can also create memory games for yourself, by asking yourself questions about things you have just seen, for example, or trying to repeat what you just heard. These three skills are sure to leave a big impact on your brain and behavior, as they underlie success in many different areas of our lives. Executive functions are central to our overall performance because these are broad and underlying skills with a neural basis. If they are failing, we are likely to see a lot of negative outcomes.

Even if your brain has trouble with these functions, it is possible to train specific areas to perform better, focus better, and accomplish improved results. Thank you for joining us on this exploration of disengaging your brain's autopilot. Remember, taking control of your thoughts and reactions requires consistent effort and practice. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately. Keep at it, and with dedicated practice, you can cultivate a more mindful and intentional approach to life. For further exploration, be sure to check out Peter Holland's book, Super Brain, and his website at bit.ly-slash-PeterHollands. We'll be back next week with another science-backed approach to improving your life from the inside out. Until then, stay curious and keep exploring the science of self.