Dr. Rick Hanson: How to Hardwire Your Brain for Happiness

The more I learn about the brain, the more fascinated I am by it.Things I used to think were just a mystery (like what makes us happy and what makes us sad) I'm now learning are totally controllable.So I was really excited to talk to one of the leading neuroscience psychologists in the field today.Dr. Rick Hanson has written multiple best-selling books about how to actually hardwire our brains to stay in the positive side of thought and feeling.Which is something I'm always looking to bring to The School of Greatness.In our conversation, I kept asking him questions related to my own experiences with emotional intelligence, positive thought, and the power we have to shift ourselves out of negative emotions and thought patterns.Everything Rick shared with me confirmed my own experience and what I've learned from other experts.What I especially loved learning this time was how important it is to slow down and consciously enjoy the good times (something I have struggled with in the past) because it actually helps reinforce those positive brain waves in the hardwiring of our brains.This is just one gem I picked up from my fascinating interview with brain genius Dr. Rick Hanson in Episode 207.Some questions I ask:Are most people holding onto negative experiences from the past more so than the positive that happens daily?What are the 4 steps to taking in the good?What is a good process to follow to break negative thoughts?What is the brain capable of creating in the world?What is the optimal daily ritual to keep the positive thoughts going?What has a bigger effect on the other: the mind on the heart or the heart on the mind?In This Episode, You Will Learn:Rick has been meditating since the '90s (that's a lot of meditating)How the hard wiring of our brains affects usWhy having good experiences constantly in romantic relationships is so important to keep them healthyThe enjoy-ability of an experience is an important signal to your brain to slow down and value the goodWhat causes lasting change in behavior and mindsetStep 1: Activation - a useful thought or experience to get things goingStep 2: Installation - a method for actually getting the experience to stick in your brainHEAL:Have the experienceEnrich the experienceAbsorb the experienceLink the experienceWe can learn certain important things only through negative experiencesThe importance of acknowledging the good in your life (and not just the bad)The feeling of a reward is much more powerful than just the idea of onePlus much more...