What Do You Really Know About Learning?

Take This 7 Question Quiz

Some time ago, I noticed that my colleagues would share theories and strategies that were a bit iffy. That got me thinking. What about myself? Maybe I’m not as up to date as I hoped. What is it that YOU believe to be true (yet is false)? Please take this 99″ survey, and let’s get up to date.

What Do You Know About Learning?

There are seven statements below. On a separate piece of paper, make a vertical list and number from 1-7. Read each of the seven statements here, then jot down a T or F next to the number on your paper. Maybe you’ll learn something new. I sure did.

After you have marked all seven, check your response from the author references at the bottom of this newsletter. There you will find information to help guide your answers and insights.

Topic: Relationships or Rigor
T/F Top teachers can be savvy at applying either strong relationships or high-expectation rigor in their work, but not both. Researchers believe the traits may compete. (See #1 below)

Topic: Boost Performance or Achievement Goals with Motivation
T/F Motivational attributes (enhancing the student’s “will to learn”) have strong importance for academic achievement. (See #2 below)

Topic: Brain Breaks
T/F The time intervals after a focused practice session for procedural/skill learning are crucial because too much continuous content starts erasing the learning. (See #3 below)

Topic: Special Needs
T/F When SPED students spent at least 80% of their school day in general education classes, they were more able to keep up with the reading and math scores of their more isolated SPED peers with similar disabilities. (See #4 below)

Topic: Emotions Help Form Strong Memories
T/F Traumatic memories with strong emotions are usually remembered very well, often decades later. When students (or adults) share a story about the trauma, it’s likely to be accurate. (See #5 below)

Topic: Kids Have Inherent Learning Preferences
T/F Students have individual learning styles (e.g., auditory, visual, kinesthetic, as well as right-brained or left-brained). (See #6 below)

Topic: Graphic Organizers
T/F Graphic organizers are one of the best ways to foster understanding of new, printed, in-depth text learning. (See #7 below)

Quick & Lasting Fixes for a Better New Year

Maybe you’ve been thinking, “Resolutions are a bad idea and a big waste.” But keep reading. What if you could ‘update’ yourself for 2023 and reduce the typical post-holiday procrastination? Want to make it a “blessed” new year? You’re about to learn how to do it.

The Research

Have you been a bit hesitant to start up your resolutions? Maybe you would be willing to reframe “resolutions” to “gaining committed habits.” The funny thing is that unless your change idea contributes to you feeling rewarded, is simple and easy to do, and has “locked-in” prompts, your chances for success are slim. That’s how your brain works. Either you set up a system to implement habitual change, or you don’t. Habits really can work for you (Robbins & Costa, 2017).

Doing less or doing it later (vs. doing more right now) is often an attractive brain decision. Conserve energy. Live another day. Resolutions fall by the wayside. But is that your identity? Are you a quitter?

Here we focus on the most common challenges you face when it comes to sticking to your new habit or resolution. Let’s pretend you made a common resolution to get more physically active in 2023.

First, let me say that there is an important distinction between delays and postponements that are sensible and rational (e.g., “I canceled my workout today because my kid’s health took a downturn, and we had to race to the hospital.”). But outside of a true emergency, personal, social, cultural, organizational, and contextual cues may facilitate procrastination (Svartdal, Dahl, Gamst-Klaussen, Koppenborg, & Klingsieck, 2020).

We could all come up with countless “reasons” to procrastinate. When we look at procrastination, let’s focus on the fewest things that matter the most. You already know what you have to do vs. want to do; that’s not the issue (Grunschel, Patrzek, Klingsieck & Fries, 2018). Here’s how to reduce potential obstacles or minor stumbles.

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS

1. Obstacle: TIME – never enough of it. The reality is we all juggle our priorities daily. But your brain often wants you to play, take a nap, put your feet up, or relax with a beverage. After all, doing nothing helps you conserve energy for another day. With kids, career, friends, house, and other responsibilities, it seems there is never enough time in the day. Yes, you’ll want to re-train your brain. But how?

Potential Solution: Use an ‘Implementation’ intention. This is simply using a what, where, when, and why for specificity. (“I promise to work out at (time) in (location) on (days of the week) so that (benefit) (ex. I’ll feel healthier, avoid sickness, enjoy life more.”). Write your implementation intention out on a Post-It® and put it in an obvious place where you’ll see it every day. This simple prompt often works because it’s clear and specific. It helps you lock in on what matters so you can stick to your commitment.

2. Obstacle: TASK issues. Aversion, irrelevance, or uncertainty arise when you are unsure of “What’s in it for me?” You may hesitate to engage. Difficulty or struggle in doing the task may evoke negative feelings. Pause and ask yourself, “Why am I really doing this?” Reaffirm your “why” or stop doing the task.

Another possibility may be there is no reliable information for self-assessment (“If I can’t tell how I am doing, it is easy to quit.”). Those with the most procrastination difficulty are typically more ‘present-oriented’ without a long-term goal. Their mantra is, “Live in the now.” (Hunter, et al. 2018). But the future may haunt them.

Potential Solution: Re-check your priorities and consider putting this new habit near the top. You could create an immediate, nearly instant reward. Why? Procrastination is more likely to occur if the outcome of an activity offers rewards in the distant future (vs. right now). Every time you start and finish your resolution, give yourself a fist pump, affirmation (“Oh yeah!”), or maybe a quick treat (a small piece of chocolate). We may not want to admit it, but rewards can work. Here’s the cool part, once the habit’s in place, you can reward just sporadically.

3. Obstacle: MISTAKES or forgetting. You may forget to do the new habit, or you do it ineffectively. Sometimes the mistake is caused by too much stress; it’s all just one more decision to make. Sometimes after a short break, your head clears. Your renewed mental state allows you to regroup and reassess. Successful ‘changers’ know when to pause, breathe, and rethink their priorities.

Potential Solution: Use a personal ‘rule.’ Maybe you tell yourself, “I will give myself one day off per week. Then I get right back at my habits. That’s who I am.” Or, you say, “My rule is that if I make a promise to do something I will do it (or renegotiate to do it later). I never quit.” Then, give yourself a quick temporary reward. If it’s not yet a habit, you must remember the cue. After all, the issue may be that you simply FORGOT that you intended to do something (Zuber, et al. 2021). Forgetting accounts for three-quarters of all procrastinations (Steel, Svartdal, Thundiyil & Brothen, 2018).

4. Obstacle: STUCK for lack of clarity. You may not know how to influence your external environment, social forces, or wandering brain. As a result, you end up ‘defaulting’ to the environment, what others are doing, or simply relaxing. Do what you can do now, do the rest later. One study found that when both “superordinate” (goals and intentions) and “subordinate” goals (micro brief actions and habits) were used, subjects were far more successful in new habit formation (Höchli, Brügger & Messner, 2020).

Potential Solution: Use social help. Ask a friend or colleague either in-person or online to help you get back on track. Those who ask for help will move their lives forward. If you’re stuck, you lose ground. Remember the big, gutsy goal, and then do one small, micro thing which you can get done in 3 minutes or less.

5. Obstacle: OVER-PLANNING. Maybe you plan too much. You overcomplicate the desired change process. You may plan too far into the future or too broadly; both are areas highly subject to speculation and error.

Potential Solution: Reconnect with your why and add urgency. Make a personal rule. Successful ‘changers’ create a strong WHY, add the skeleton structure, and then get started. Everything else gets added over time. Just. Get. Going. If you find yourself procrastinating more than you’d like, it’s usually happening in between the intention and the planned action. In short, the intention is rarely the problem. Build the steps; create behavioral cues, erase obstacles, and embrace automaticity to make it a habit.

CITATIONS

Grunschel C, Patrzek J, Klingsieck KB, Fries S.(2018). “I’ll stop procrastinating now!” Fostering specific processes of self-regulated learning to reduce academic procrastination. J Prev Interv Community.46,143-157.

Höchli B, Brügger A, Messner C. (2020). Making New Year’s Resolutions that Stick: Exploring how Superordinate and Subordinate Goals Motivate Goal Pursuit. Appl Psychol Health Well Being.12(1):30-52.

Hunter RF, Tang J, Hutchinson G, Chilton S, Holmes D, Kee F. (2018). Association between time preference, present-bias and physical activity: implications for designing behavior change interventions. BMC Public Health. 18(1):1388.

Robbins TW, Costa RM. (2017). Habits. Curr Biol. 27(22):R1200-R1206.

Steel P., Svartdal F., Thundiyil T., Brothen T. (2018). Examining procrastination across multiple goal stages: a longitudinal study of temporal motivation theory. Front. Psychol. 9,327.

Svartdal F, Dahl TI, Gamst-Klaussen T, Koppenborg M, Klingsieck KB. (2020). How Study Environments Foster Academic Procrastination: Overview and Recommendations. Front Psychol.11,540910.

Zuber S, Ballhausen N, Haas M, Cauvin S, Da Silva Coelho C, Daviet AS, Ihle A, Kliegel M. (2021). I could do it now, but I’d rather (forget to) do it later: examining links between procrastination and prospective memory failures. Psychol Res. 85, 1602-1612.

Your Fresh Choices for a Better New Year

There’s something in this post you may like a lot. What if you could get the energy, force, and velocity before you walk out the front door? It is possible, and I’ll share how I do that daily. This month we explore how to be more energetic and joyful over the holidays… and throughout the year. Keep reading.

The Research

First, what is it that actually generates your energy? Your body has about 100 trillion cells (Sender, Fuchs & Milo, 2016). You’ve got over 200 types of cells, including blood cells (white and red), hard cells (bone, flesh, organs, etc.), bacteria, and “extras” (intracellular fluids, mitochondria, etc.).

Your body consumes and produces a LOT of energy to keep you alive and functioning. The energy you need is created and delivered by tiny structures inside your cells called mitochondria. Why should you care about how these inner cells function? For one thing, it influences your health. Let’s dig a bit deeper.

When you mistreat your body, your mitochondria underproduce. For instance, when sedentary, your brain gets less blood, glucose, and oxygen to your mitochondria. Plus, as we age our blood flow drops – unless we stay active. With less blood flow, the brain’s mitochondria can’t meet its normal energy demand. Neurons degenerate, leading to dementia—whose prevalence rises more than ten-fold, between the ages of 55 and 90 (Prince, et al., 2015).

In fact, mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to every mental or neurological affliction on earth, including chronic psychological stress and fatigue, cognitive deficits, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, and multiple sclerosis. It’s also linked to good things: thinking, feeling, and movement. It’s time to learn how to support and supercharge this energy for the rest of your life.

Starting today, make your energy mantra “Muster my mitochondria.” Why? This energy powerhouse plays a crucial role in both energy-producing for health and illness prevention (Kramer & Bressan, 2018). In short, it’s your daily lifeline. So, how do you support it? Let’s switch over to the real world.

Practical Solutions

Dr. Terry Wahls is a physician. As with other autoimmune diseases, her troubles began decades before her own diagnosis. She experienced a loss of stamina and strength, problems with balance, bouts of horrific facial pain, dips in visual acuity, and foot drop.

Finally, the diagnosis was made; she had multiple sclerosis (MS). As it kept getting worse, more accommodations were made. As a physician who was suddenly working in a wheelchair, life became more difficult every week. Most people would resign themselves to the horrible disease. But not Dr. Wahls.

What may be surprising to you is that 70-90% of the risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases (like MS) is due to environmental factors (Willett, 2002). The environment (not genes) drives most chronic diseases. Avoid blaming your genes and focus on what’s in your control. Dr. Wahls’ background in biology and medicine (plus a fierce curiosity) gave her the insights to get started.

She began a committed adoption of a multi-faceted lifestyle designed to help her mitochondrial function. This included dietary changes, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and supplements. Soon, she was out of her wheelchair and feeling good. In fact, soon, she could walk to her own clinic and bicycle around the block. Not bad for having multiple sclerosis. A year after starting treatments, she could bicycle 18 miles; the following year, she rode a trail horse through the Canadian Rockies. (Wahls, 2011). Impressive!

What can you do to keep your mitochondria in tip-top shape?

Remember, energy happens on a cellular, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional level. On the macro level, you can generate quick ‘spring into action energy’ from the outside in or the inside out. Here are a few choices for you to consider using; just start with one.

5 Steps You Can Choose From

Feed your body oxygen. Oxygenate your body through movement every single day. Walk, take a yoga class, ride a bike, follow an exercise routine, or play a sport (maybe… pickleball). Swimming daily for 10-30 minutes increased the number of mitochondrial DNA copies (Cao et al., 2012). Power walks at a healthy low-intensity movement for 20 – 40 minutes are a strong mitochondrial activator (Liepinsh, et al., 2020). What you do doesn’t matter as much as getting up and doing something daily.

Charge up your body. Choose unprocessed, nutrient-rich foods. That includes avocadoes, extra virgin olive oil, spinach, brown rice, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and whole grains (such as barley, whole wheat, or rolled oats). Consider legumes (multiple types of beans) and nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, and macadamia nuts). Ensure the meat is farm fresh, with no hormones or additives. Same with fish; avoid bottom crawlers and farm-raised fish (stick with real fish from the big ocean). Diet has a significant impact on your mitochondria (Kyriazis, 2022).

The cheapest proteins are typically eggs, dry beans, other legumes, meat, and milk products. Milk, potatoes, hot and whole grain cereals, and beans have more favorable overall nutrient-to-price ratios than chips, crackers, and some fruits (Ridoutt, 2021). Customize your nutrition choices using affordability, your age, taste, accessibility, and storage capacity.

Feed your brain oxygen. Use intentional nasal breathing. Real-world science suggests that nasal breathing supports cognitive tasks, stress reduction, and cellular functioning (Zelano, C, 2016). Give nasal breathing a brief tryout. Inhale through your nose and take 3 short breaths. Hold it… then exhale with 3 short breaths. Lengthen your breaths as you gain more skillful breathing. By deliberate focus on breathing, you are naturally slowing down your breathing rate to a rhythm that will activate your parasympathetic (relaxation) system. Typically, it also lowers your heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels, promoting calmness and clarity.

Self-Talk to Take Charge. Sometimes I catch myself saying “I am so tired. Don’t want to do this.” Instead of slowing down, I often just give myself a boost of energy with a pep talk. “Hey, Eric… it’s time for a quick stretch. Get up. Take three slow breaths. Count down from three to one and start walking.” The funny thing is, once I say that, I’m already in motion, ready to do the next thing that I had been putting off. Self-talk is used worldwide by athletes, performers, artists, and others who want to overcome doubts (Bellomo et al., 2020).

Skip breakfast (now and then). The slogan of eating breakfast (“… it’s the most important meal of the day.”) began in a 1944 marketing campaign. It was funded and launched by Grape Nuts cereal manufacturer Post to sell more breakfast cereal. Other cereal manufacturers, such as Kellogg’s and General Mills, jumped in. They reiterated the message: “Eat your breakfast to have a good day.”

Soon, it became an accepted “fact” within the American culture. Nutrition author Adele Davis famously said one should “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” But there was never any science behind that claim. Every meal is important, but every person is also unique in their needs.

In some studies, breakfast eaters were healthier. In other studies, no breakfast was better. Let’s get the best of both worlds: eat a healthy breakfast often and skip it now and then. For starters, choose one day a week to skip breakfast. Do a 16-18 hour (time starts from the last food eaten the night before) clear liquids only fast. Among the optimal triggers, caloric restriction is one of the strongest non-genetic triggers for revitalizing and building your body’s healthy mitochondria. (Mehrabani, et al., 2020).

Have a healthy dinner and be done eating by 6-7pm. No evening snacks. Then eat the next day starting at 11:30 or 12 noon. That gives your body enough time to do a “lite reboot” for your system. The first time I started fasting, I felt starved by 7 am. Over time, my body adapted. I now feel furiously sharp and productive in the morning on fasting days. You can do this, too. Start small, then slowly increase the number of days per month as soon as you’re ready. Your mitochondria will get revitalized (Castro-Sepúlveda, et al. 2021).

Finally, You have the capacity to change. Eating poorly is optional. Getting sick is usually optional. Yes, you can improve our mental and physical health, but only if you are willing to pay the price. Today, your price is a bit of extra time (the cost is mostly zero). But if you choose to postpone your critical physical and mental health habits, the price gets very, very expensive (in both more money and more time) later in life. Make a promise to yourself. Focus on eating better, getting enough sleep (free), exercising regularly (free), practicing mindfulness (free), and maybe you do intermittent fasting once a week (free). I have faith in you. Have a healthy and joyful holiday season.

CITATIONS

Bellomo E, Cooke A, Gallicchio G, Ring C, Hardy J. (2020). Mind and body: Psychophysiological profiles of instructional and motivational self-talk. Psychophysiology. 57(9):e13586.

Cao X., Zhao Z. W., Zhou H. Y., Chen G. Q., Yang H. J. (2012). Effects of exercise intensity on copy number and mutations of mitochondrial DNA in gastrocnemius muscles in mice. Molecular Medicine Reports, 6, 426–428.

Castro-Sepúlveda M, Morio B, Tuñón-Suárez M, Jannas-Vela S, Díaz-Castro F, Rieusset J, Zbinden-Foncea H. (2021). The fasting-feeding metabolic transition regulates mitochondrial dynamics. FASEB s. 35(10):e21891.

Kramer P, Bressan P. (2018). Our (Mother’s) Mitochondria and Our Mind. Perspect Psychol Sci. 13(1):88-100.

Kyriazis ID, Vassi E, Alvanou M, Angelakis C, Skaperda Z, Tekos F, Garikipati VNS, Spandidos DA, Kouretas D. (2022) The impact of diet upon mitochondrial physiology (Review). Int J Mol Med. 50(5):135.

Liepinsh E, Makarova E, Plakane L, Konrade I, Liepins K, Videja M, Sevostjanovs E, Grinberga S, Makrecka-Kuka M, Dambrova M.(2020). Low-intensity exercise stimulates bioenergetics and increases fat oxidation in mitochondria of blood mononuclear cells from sedentary adults. Physiol Rep. 8(12):e14489.

Mehrabani S, Bagherniya M, Askari G, Read MI, Sahebkar A. (2020). The effect of fasting or calorie restriction on mitophagy induction: a literature review. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscles11(6):1447-1458.

Prince M. J., Wimo A., Guerchet M. M., Ali G. C., Wu Y. T., Prina M. (2015). World Alzheimer report 2015: The global impact of dementia—An analysis of prevalence, incidence, cost, and trends. London, England: Alzheimer’s Disease International.

Ridoutt B. (2021). An Alternative Nutrient Rich Food Index (NRF-ai) Incorporating Prevalence of Inadequate and Excessive Nutrient Intake. Foods. 10, 3156.

Sender R., Fuchs S., Milo R. (2016). Revised estimates for the number of human and bacteria cells in the body. PLoS Biology, 14, e1002533

Wahls, TL (2011). The seventy percent solution. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 26, 1215–1216s.

Willett WC. (2002). Balancing lifestyle and genomics research for disease prevention. Science. 296, 695–698.

Zelano, C, Jiang, H, Guangyu Zhou, Nikita Arora, Stephan Schuele, Joshua Rosenow and Jay A. Gottfried (2016). Nasal Respiration Entrains Human Limbic Oscillations and Modulates Cognitive Function. Journal of Neuroscience. 36,12448-12467.

Social Clubs: The Clubs You’re in This Year Will Secretly Shape Your Brain

Educators, by and large, are social. Teaching is social, leading is social, and supporting others is social. Every role you play increases the likelihood of you being in a Club. You may not label the Club you’re in but trust me, you are in at least one Club. And the Clubs you’re in are changing your brain.

Seriously!

The first time I realized this, I was staring at a study showing the effects (using MRI) on the brain of …….

The Research

The best way to help understand the power of peer pressure and social clubs is with a real story. Muhammad Yunus was a young professor of economics. He noticed that in Bangladesh, thousands of poor women ran tiny micro-businesses. As artisans, they made simple products to sell daily for a profit. They bought the raw materials, then would weave, carve, or build the much-needed products. For example, women might buy bamboo and make a stool.

But these women had no credit to purchase the materials because they lacked the traditional collateral or assets that the banks would honor. So, the women were forced to get continual “advances” from loan sharks to allow them to buy the materials so they could make their products. This “tax” on their products kept them in poverty. There were many loan defaults, too. It took visionary business insight for Yunus to see that the solution was social, not economic.

Yunus realized that the women DID have collateral; it was social collateral. To these women, their standing in the community is almost all they have. This innovative investor (Yunus) offered loans to teams of five women at much lower interest rates. The whole team of women had to get approval to join, and if one defaulted, the entire group lost their loan. It was simply a joint liability.

As a result, women did not let unqualified others into the loan group, and once in, members did not want to let their friends down. The result was amazing. While a typical bank in Bangladesh had a default rate of over 50%, these women repaid their unconventional micro-loans at around 98%. That’s the power of the Club. By the way, today’s Yunus idea is the Grameen Bank, with over nine billion in assets.

Fifteen years ago, I remembered pouncing on a meaty (over 1000 pages) “hot off the press” volume of research (edited by John T. Cacioppo). This book, “Foundations in Social Neuroscience” showed the new and profound connections in how social experiences alter our brains. This book blew me away, and I began to make connections for the first time.

Well, it is now time for an update. And it is time to see what happens when you socialize both at work and away from work.

While many studies show the significant and widespread “positive contagion” effects of social bonding, there are several troubling issues that rarely get publicity. By the way, I have carefully screened every study to ensure the science is rock solid. That means that every peer-reviewed study (all from prestigious scientific journals) has been carefully noted, and genetic effects were eliminated from the data by using large twin samples as well as other statistical tools.

Let’s begin with food.

Who you socialize with can and does influence WHAT you eat. Eating effects are increased when individuals desire to affiliate (“I want to hang out with her.”) with others or perceive themself to be like the potential role model. This behavioral mimicry occurs without conscious awareness (Cruwys, Bevelander & Hermans, 2015). Notice how the food ordering plays out the next time you eat with others in your club. You may hear, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

Many have said you are the average weight of your five closest friends. Is that an urban legend or fact? The body weight of your friends does influence you. You are most likely to become obese when a friend becomes obese. That friend increases your chances of becoming obese by 57 percent. Yes, friends have a positive causal peer effect on body mass (O’Malley, Elwert, Rosenquist, Zaslavsky & Christakis, 2014).

Social groups often foster existing or new fear biases towards out-group members. (Molapour, Golkar, Navarrete, Haaker & Olsson, 2015). This helps all of us understand biases between social groups.

Yes, your group’s social identity does shape responses to intergroup competition and potential harm to your group from others. Intergroup competition can boost social identity (“We are a strong team.”), but it can also affect group responses (potentially less empathy) to the hardships others face. (Cikara, Botvinick & Fiske, 2011).

How your friends feel is contagious. This association extends to one’s friends’ friends’ friends. Female friends (up to three degrees of separation) appear to be especially influential in the spread of depression from one person to another. The results are robust and suggest that your social networks are relevant to the potential causes of depression (Rosenquist, Fowler & Christakis, 2011).

If you were wondering, yes, of course, your friends influence your social alcohol consumption behavior, too (Rosenquist, Murabito, Fowler & Christakis, 2010).

Social group members may home in on differences within the group. Others low on warmth and competence within your group are perceived as different, less human, or even dehumanized (Harris & Fiske, 2007). It seems like it is good to be a friend and make friends.

And, in case you were wondering, online social networks also alter the brain (Kanai, Bahrami, Roylance & Rees, 2012). Increased gray matter volume correlated with an increased quantitative measure of participation in social networks like Facebook.

By now, you must be wondering how much freedom you have (if any.) Yes, the Social Club you are in can and does influence your behavior. But every researcher was careful about how the study results were summarized. Social clubs can influence behavior. BUT… social clubs do not force, coerce, or mandate behaviors.

Is there a good side to this? You bet!

Positive social experiences will enhance the production of new neurons (neurogenesis) (Cacioppo S, Capitanio JP, Cacioppo 2014; Venna VR, Xu Y, Doran SJ, Patrizz A & McCullough LD. 2014). This means you are not an outcast; you are liked and trusted by others in the group.

You can change things in your club, such as how all socially perceive others. Cultivating compassion changes our brain for the better (Klimecki, Leiberg, Lamm & Singer 2013). Learning to be empathic also changes our brain for the better (Hein, Engelmann, Vollberg & Tobler, 2016). When we admire others, our brain changes for the better. (Immordino-Yang, McColl, Damasio & Damasio, 2009). I find these studies very, very encouraging.

Keep reading, and we’ll see what you can do about the social contagion effect at your work clubs.

Getting Started and Taking Action

As you can see, social clubs can influence us both for good and for bad. If you are noticing more of the dark side of the social contagion effect in your work clubs, here are a few suggestions to consider.

You can now see that your professional learning community has a LOT more to do with your brain (and life) than just a committee looking at student data. Take your school teams seriously and help form them into amazing social clubs that you LOVE to be a part of.

For example, if you have little or no choice (the social club was mandated) at work, focus on what you DO have control over. First, find an ally in your club that is more aligned with your interests and values. Having a protective social buddy can reduce any adverse effects. Be sure to spend social time with your friend to allow time to strengthen your shared values and debrief.

In addition, write out a simple paragraph or bullet points of what you DO value. Write out how you treat others and what you stand for. Read it to yourself and even post it on the bathroom mirror. This will reinforce who YOU are instead of getting adversely influenced by others with whom you may disagree.

Next, if you find you have no ally in your social club, you have two options. The first applies if you consider yourself an activist or go-getter. In this case, strengthen your ties with the leadership in the group. Share your concerns about the group’s bias or lack of positive activity. Offer to provide a “second voice” for the leadership (which is clearly lacking). Sometimes, supposed leaders really DO want and need genuine support. By taking on this role, you can begin to influence policy or actions in the group.

Your second option is to focus your energy on where you get the most rewards. Zoom in on your own work with students, usually in the classroom. This can give you a positive outlet for your energy and help you do what is most important to you. In the social club you can nod your head and contribute but protect what is good about you. Protect the daily experiences of your students.

Here is what the research tells us about the pressures of a social club. People often struggle because of their behavioral choices. They often select comfort, pleasure, avoidance, or approval in the short term, but those choices can lead to horrendous long-term outcomes. When you choose a social club (friends, professional learning community, neighbors, etc.) that offers you a NEW identity through a NEW peer group, and the peer pressure effect can be very powerful. That’s where you get the biggest effect.

CITATIONS

Cacioppo S, Capitanio JP, Cacioppo JT. (2014). Toward a neurology of loneliness. Psychol Bull. 140, 1464-504.

Cikara M, Botvinick MM, Fiske ST. (2011). Us versus them: social identity shapes neural responses to intergroup competition and harm. Psychol Sci. 22, 306-13.

Cruwys T, Bevelander KE, Hermans RC. (2015). Social modeling of eating: a review of when and why social influence affects food intake and choice. Appetite. 86, 3-18.

Harris, L. T., & Fiske, S. T. (2007). Social groups that elicit disgust are differentially processed in mPFC. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2, 45–51.

Hein G, Engelmann JB, Vollberg MC, Tobler PN. (2016). How learning shapes the empathic brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 113, 80-5.

Immordino-Yang, M. H., McColl, A., Damasio, H., & Damasio, A. (2009). Neural correlates of admiration and compassion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106, 8021–8026.

Kanai R, Bahrami B, Roylance R, Rees G. (2012). Online social network size is reflected in human brain structure. Proc Biol Sci. 279,1327-34.

Klimecki OM, Leiberg S, Lamm C, Singer T. (2013) Functional neural plasticity and associated changes in positive affect after compassion training. Cereb Cortex. 23, 1552-61.

Molapour T, Golkar A, Navarrete CD, Haaker J, Olsson A. (2016). Neural correlates of biased social fear learning and interaction in an intergroup context. Neuroimage.121,171-83.

O’Malley AJ, Elwert F, Rosenquist JN, Zaslavsky AM, Christakis NA. (2014). Estimating peer effects in longitudinal dyadic data using instrumental variables. Biometrics. 70, 506-15.

Rosenquist JN, Murabito J, Fowler JH, Christakis NA. (2010). The spread of alcohol consumption behavior in a large social network. Ann Intern Med. 152, 426-33, W141.

Rosenquist JN, Fowler JH, Christakis NA. (2011). Social network determinants of depression. Mol Psychiatry.16, 273-81.

Venna VR, Xu Y, Doran SJ, Patrizz A & McCullough LD. (2014). Social interaction plays a critical role in neurogenesis and recovery after stroke. Transl Psychiatry. 28;4:e351.

One of life’s biggest questions is…

“Who am I?” It’s one of life’s biggest questions. How much does your (or your student’s) identity matter?

“Are some students just plain impossible to change?” I hear that often. Some staff get frustrated and have resorted to name-calling kids (using words like “disrespectful” or “lazy”), and those labels can forge a harmful identity. Maybe you knew that.

What about you?

How much does your identity matter, and would you ever change it? You’re about to hear why you might want to tweak your identity for the better. Keep reading…

The Research

Is identity important to educators? You bet! Unfortunately, the lowest performing quartile of teachers (in every school district) brings the overall scores down by 10% each year (Hanushek, 2014). Unfortunately, that impacts staff, students, and leadership.

Here’s the “Identity” angle. Make a guess… what percent of those low-performing teachers (those in the bottom 25% as measured by annual student progress) would say that they are “Better than average” or even “Exceptional”? This is an important question. Why? It’s an identity question of “Who am I?” The answer is 77%, meaning that more than three-fourths of struggling teachers deny that they are struggling (Wu, Melissa, 2012). Their “identity” won’t let them admit the results.

Instead, if that same struggling staff member said, “Yeah, I know I’m not doing well. I have been thinking of working closely with a mentor this year.” you might be pretty happy. But that’s not what happens.

Let me re-state this differently: the staff who need support for change the most are also more likely to be in denial of the need for change. They fall for the “It can’t be my fault” bias effect. This bias occurs when poor performers overestimate their ability, whereas top performers make more accurate self-assessments.

You might say that at least those teachers have good self-esteem. But it’s not a good reality for our students. After all, if a teacher believes they are “above average” or “excellent,” it must (by default) mean the low scores are the kid’s fault, right? This is clearly an identity issue. The question asks, “At your core, who are you?” If the data shows that you are far less effective than your claims, maybe your identity is hurting (not helping) you.

In fact, it is their illusory identity of “excellence” that keeps them in a prison of stunted growth. Now you see how identity can help or hurt. Now you’ve learned that one’s potentially false identity may be embraced simply because it allows one to sleep better at night (“I’m a good teacher; it can’t be my fault”).

Yes, identities are important because they can help or hurt. So, what’s the point of all this? Identities are best when they’re authentic. If your description or perception of yourself is different than the data or results, it’s time to modify (hopefully temporarily) your identity until there’s a (hopefully) better match.

Is Your Identity a Defining Tool?
Identity forms and confirms the basis of our self, our worth, and our value in our community. We usually think and behave to conform to our sense of identity. Identities can define who you are: “This place is a perfect fit for me.” And identities define who you are not, “That’s something I’d never do.” At a PD, have you heard a staff member say, “I’m sure it’s a good idea; it’s just not for me.” Very unlikely for an educator to grow with THAT identity.

While identities are powerful, there are plenty of nuances to them. For example, we can accept that occasionally we may have cheated (describing an atypical action). But we’d never want to be called a cheater-the identity label (Bryan, Adams & Monin, 2013). We don’t mind losing at something now and then (an atypical result). But we’d never want to be called a loser as our identity. One more example; we might complain now and then about our lives. But who wants to be identity-labeled as a “complainer” all of the time?

In short, we all have many different types of identity; but just a few may be your “core” or “primary” identity. You may become known as “the reading expert” at school. And there are plenty of other ways that others (or yourself) may identify you (by gender, ethnicity, age, geography, etc.)

Where Does Your Identity Originate?
The short answer to the question above is “everywhere.” You are influenced everywhere you turn: your biology, affiliations, personality, friends, hobbies, and even your geographic location. Most identities gain strength over time and emerge from repeating our actions and habits. At work, there’s “identity naming” (“You’re a really good team leader.”). That’s simply reinforcement from social behaviors and the situational context. Over time, your family, friends, and colleagues may assign an identity to you. You can either dispute it or support the new identity.

How Does Your Identity Drive Behavior?
Identities are not fixed. For example, change in school-focused identities is typical and predictable over the course of the school year. Identities start strong, then weaken. That means most students have weaker academic identities by spring (Horowitz, Oyserman, Dehghani & Sorensen, 2020). While this decline is associated with declining academic trajectories, when school-focused possible identities increase, so do grades.

When kids struggle, some teachers will say to me, “What do you expect? My kids… (fill in this blank with all the issues, labels, and problems their kids have)… so you can guess there’s not much you can do about it.” The assumption here is that the identity you just spoke about (lazy, slow, poor, Latino, etc.) prevents the student from being any different or growing. You’re right about that, but is that who you want the student to grow into? Is that the future you want to happen? It turns out that the identity you help shape (that of your students or others) may be not just more critical but also more malleable than you think. How so?

While our identities can feel stable, they are actually highly sensitive to contextual cues (e.g., social pressure, deadlines, uncomfortable chairs.) In addition, an identity is more likely to matter for making critical behavioral choices (e.g., raise a hand, remain quiet and still) when circumstances are more relevant in the moment. (Oyserman, Bybee, & Terry, 2006).

In other words, if students are asked to write two brief paragraphs to their parents about their college intentions (relevant) rather than to do less relevant classwork, the motivation is salient. It is also meaningful if their behavior allows them to fit with their class teams or “win over” friends in the process. Keep the process relevant, and students will be more likely to fulfill their identity.

Practical Applications

Fortunately, you can influence your (and your student’s) identity in several ways. Here are just three of them: through your Reinforcing Actions, the careful (or careless) use of words in your Language, and the set of Rules you impose on yourself. Let’s flesh these out a bit.

1. Reinforcing Actions
When we use social influence well, it can enforce and support our identities. During or after a team meeting, one can say to their peers, “I like how you stood up for our team. You’re such a good leader.” Or, “I loved that you admitted that mistake; I struggle with trying to do that. You’re such a humble person.” In professional development, when staff identities are reinforced, there’s a robust positive after effect on clarity and confidence. (Steinert, O’Sullivan & Irby, 2019). In class, use student-to-student affirmations to reinforce identity (“You’re a hungry learner!”).

2. Personal Rules
These are made-up guidelines for yourself that are an outflow of your identity. They begin with, “Sorry, I have a rule that says…” Here are some of my own “rules” that help me and the identity it reinforces. I often say, “I have a rule that says… I limit myself to only two desserts a month (“I am a healthy eater”). If I notice I hurt someone’s feelings, I recognize it and apologize (I recognize my faults, stay humble, and correct my faults”). I follow my morning and evening fitness routines (“I am committed to health”). If I don’t exercise/workout one day, I jump in and restart the next day (“I forgive myself easily and stay the course”). When you state your own rules out loud, others understand the “why” and typically respect your choices. In the classroom, ask students to make their own list of three “rules for success” (“My rule is I finish my homework before I do gaming with my friends”).

3. Language Used
One way we lower or raise our identity is with descriptive comments. The speaker in a group can use either favorable or unfavorable comments about another’s identity. Individuals can easily infer another’s social identity (as “in-group” or as “out-group”) based on the communicator’s use of a linguistic intergroup bias (Porter, Rheinschmidt-Same & Richeson, 2016). This works both ways.

We can either call someone “confident” or “arrogant.” We can call another a “perfectionist” or a “having high standards.” One can be either “divisive” or simply “a bit provocative.” Notice how the same person can be raised up or lowered within a social group simply by word choice. Which choices will you make going forward?

Now for my biggest fear. Maybe you still use the ‘time bias.’ Many will read this newsletter and respond, “I’m just too busy; I’ve got no time for those changes to help me and my students soar like eagles.” If you feel that way, I am sorry; I have failed you. I failed to activate your choice of playing the ’long game.’ Biases are shortcuts to save time and are often about the ‘short game.’

You see, life goes by so fast that many would say, “Live in the moment, smell the roses; life is short.” And they’re right. Life is about savoring the smell of the flowers, eating a great meal, and enjoying hugs from friends and family.

But most everything in life that’s worth having over a lifetime also requires ‘the long game.’ At school, it includes building relationships and fostering cognitive capacity. At home, the list includes maintaining relationships, appreciating the daily blessings, and saving for retirement. Choose right now; have you decided on long, short, or BOTH? Then begin… right now.

Intellectual and Social Humility

How do you respond when you hear another staff member from school apologize? We have all had the experience of sensing when we were wrong about something. Maybe it’s our conscience speaking; but often we just let it go. Time heals all wounds. Others will figure it out. Right?

But what if we are wrong twice? Wrong to hide the mistake and wrong to assume it will go away? Life happens pretty fast; let’s learn how to deal with mistakes and apologies a bit better. A more joyful life is coming up.

Introduction

Here is this month’s insight. Humility goes across all areas of your life; personal, social, systemic. It could be personal (admit something to yourself and stop covering it up with lies to yourself). It could be social (you deceive others and keep the lie hidden). It could be systemic (you make mistakes within a system that may cover things up, but you know full well it was your fault.)

Unless you can: 1) admit that you are wrong more often, 2) identify in the moment and notice the mistake, and 3) give an appropriate apology, life will be harder for you.

In the medical profession, a physician who admits an error may risk a poor review, a lawsuit, or even the loss of a career. As you may know, we have a health care system in which medical mistakes are a top-three cause of death (CDC, 2020). Nearly 100,000 people a year die from medical mistakes.

In fact, if our commercial airlines had the same fatal mistake rate as our hospitals do, there would be a fully loaded 747 with 300+ passengers crashing with 100% dead every three days. Would you keep flying? I wouldn’t.

But what about mistakes in your life? It’s unlikely you make catastrophic mistakes every day. Of course, we all commonly make minor mistakes. Why does it seem ‘normal’ to cover mistakes? In today’s bulletin, we’ll:

EXPLORE 3 WAYS your brain makes apologies hard AND rare.
LEARN why admitting you’re wrong can make you smarter.
DISCOVER the 3 most important ways to make an apology.

The Research

Why It’s Easier to Lie
Your brain uses several biological tools to help you survive. They include pattern recognition, protecting the herd, and energy conservation. Your brain’s survival tools also generate cognitive biases (shortcuts that save time), narratives (stories that reframe, communicate), and our identity (that preserves a sense of self). It is this second set of tools that increases your odds of covering up mistakes.

You have a neural network framework for cognitive biases, which explains why your brain systematically tends to default to the shortcut (‘Type 1’ reactive) decision making. Your cognitive biases arise from multiple neural networks. They engage four principles: (1) Association, (2) Compatibility, (3) Retainment, and (4) Focus which are inherent to all cognitive biases.

Each bias you have performs a concrete biological, perceptual, social, or motor function to meet survival goals (Korteling, Brouwer & Toet, 2018). Let’s walk through how our “Mistakes” biases play out.

Anytime we need decisions (deadlines, end of a meeting, urgency, etc.), shortcuts are common, and biases are engaged (Ward & Garety, 2017). Once a decision is made, often with less information and minimal competing information, the most familiar or simplest option often wins out.

Once that choice is made, we strive to confirm it with future ‘bits’ of selected evidence called the confirmation bias. That bias is increased by our confidence in being right about what we did (Rollwage, et al. 2020). Next, we try to defend and justify our decision because our reward networks help us feel good about our decision.

To top this all off, our identities (“I am a good person”, “I am a fairly smart person”, “I make good decisions”, etc.) would be smudged or even violated if you admitted the decision was poor (McLean & Pratt, 2006). Why? because our identity is at stake. Notice that how you see yourself is critical. A savvier identity would be, “I am a good person who makes mistakes now and then,” or, “I am good at admitting my mistakes and apologizing promptly.”

So, here’s the three-part process. First, the brain generates quick thoughts using bias shortcuts. Second, we confirm and affirm the decisions. Third, we defend them with a defensive story about the situation. It’s sort of a nasty cycle, isn’t it? How can we stop it? Keep reading.

Practical Applications

In my work in education, I see educators, leaders, and other staff developers posting pictures on social media constantly. Any chance for raising the bar for greater social humility? How would someone do that?

First, check out the picture you are posting. I noticed that I have some on my website that are 3 years out of date. It’s time for me to post up fresher pictures. I look different than I did three years ago, do you?

I have seen others in my field still posting up the same pics I saw of them 5, 10, even 15 years ago. My goodness! I doubt if anyone would even recognize the person in real life from the pictures they post. That’s a serious social no-humility (otherwise known as vanity) mistake. Please update your on-line pictures. If not, what are you afraid of?

In education (and your personal life), admitting the mistake and apologizing is also better for everyone. Here is your 3-step routine.

1. NOTICE THE TRIGGER. When you are tempted to hide, cover up, or avoid admission of wrong, take a moment to notice what goes on in your body or brain. Is it a feeling you get… or a story you tell yourself? Or, it may be an immediate internal voice. Maybe you say, “They won’t notice” or, “It’s not that bad.” The key is awareness. You are powerless to fix what is invisible or denied. We have all done this before, so rise up and make the choice to start afresh.

2. LEARN the LESSON from the incident. Quick soul-searching will reveal some valuable possibilities. “I hid my mistake because…. I didn’t want to look bad.” Or, “… I would feel embarrassed because I was so sure of my choice.” The threat to you is your bias being challenged (“I wanted to be right.”) or your identity felt threatened (“I just don’t usually make those mistakes”). The point is that there is ALWAYS something to learn and the lesson helps you grow.

3. MAKE an apology that has a good chance of being accepted. Not all strong apologies will be accepted. Others may decide to hold a grudge and that’s on them, not you. Here are the three rules for making better apologies.

Ownership. Be the first to admit that you did something wrong; never deny or rebut. Focus on your actions—and not on the other person’s response. For example, “I’m sorry that you felt hurt by what I said at the party last night.” is a terrible excuse for an apology. Own your behavior and apologize for it, period. Instead say, “I’m sorry about what I said at the party last night. It was insensitive and uncalled for.” Avoid any blame. Never defend your behavior by claiming it was justified. Never minimize or downplay your hurtful actions. Avoid a single excuse. Even if it’s well intended, an excuse only weakens your apology.

Clarity with Language. Accept full responsibility for any role in the situation. Here’s a strong example: “I was hurtful yesterday when I snapped at you. I was wrong to do that, and I apologize.”

A good apology avoids the word “but” as in, “I’m sorry, but …”. Using the word “but” automatically cancels out any apology you were hoping to make. If the other person wants you to provide more background that’s up to them to ask you for it, not for you to offer. Never get into whose to blame, who started it, or what percent of the blame is yours. Take the ownership and simply say, “I’m so sorry for my part in this.”

Closure for Both Parties. We all make mistakes and we all hurt others. Forgive yourself first, then give the best apology you can. A true apology should never be offered only to make you feel better if it risks making the hurt party feel worse. A true apology needs to be backed by corrective action. If you messed up, offer to correct any aversive effects of a wrongful action. “I’m so sorry for what I did. Can you suggest something I can do to make it right?” Making amends may be part of your healing as well.

As you may know, many apologies get dismissed or are unwelcome. Sometimes another person doesn’t want to hear from you. You’ll want to recognize when “I’m sorry” is not enough for another. A serious hurt or betrayal often requires forgiveness from the other party. Some are simply unprepared, unwilling, or unskilled in that type of restoration work. Time may or may not heal the situation.

The takeaway is simple. Assume you’ll make many, many mistakes. Be ready to catch them. Forgive yourself. Apologize in the moment the best you can. Breathe deeply. Move forward. You’ve done your best.

CITATIONS

Center for Disease Control (2020). www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm

Flynn JM. (2020). Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned: A Mid-Career Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon’s Journey to Sustain Energy and Avoid Burnout. J Pediatr Orthop. 40 Suppl 1:S16-S21.

Evans JSBT, Stanovich KE. (2013). Dual-Process Theories of Higher Cognition: Advancing the Debate. Perspect Psychol Sci. 8,223–41.

Kim H, Kralik JD, Yun K, Chung YA, Jeong J. (2019). Neural Correlates of Public Apology Effectiveness. Front Hum Neurosci. 13, 229.

Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, & Donaldson MS, eds. (2000). To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US). PMID: 25077248.

Korteling JE, Brouwer AM, Toet A. (2018). A Neural Network Framework for Cognitive Bias. Front Psychol. 9,1561.

McLean KC & Pratt MW (2006). Life’s little (and big) lessons: Identity statuses and meaning-making in the turning point narratives of emerging adults. Developmental Psychology, 42, 714–722.

Rollwage M, Loosen A, Hauser TU, Moran R, Dolan RJ, Fleming SM. (2020). Confidence drives a neural confirmation bias. Nat Commun.11, 2634.

Ward T, Garety PA. (2017). Fast and slow thinking in distressing delusions: A review of the literature and implications for targeted therapy. Schizophr Res 203,80–7.

Recovery of 3 Learning Secrets

Confession: I am a hopeless learning junkie. I read the newsletters, view the websites, and subscribe to the hard science in the Journal of Neuroscience. But I am also a student of the history of learning. I was digging around the research and found amazing (but ‘buried’) research that is quite relevant today, years later.

Research

The study’s title, “The Learning Strategies Project,” got my attention. For one, the author Emanuel Donchin, was a pioneer the field of learning. Second, the project was funded by the US Department of Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which later funded the original Internet as we know it today. Finally, the mission of the DARPA Learning strategies project was to test the assumption that “there are learning strategies that do make practice more efficient.”

To test which learning strategies were the best, they did something that no other project in history has done. They created a standard project model (“Here is the activity, and here is how much time you have to accomplish your goals.”)

Then they sent their request for proposals to cognitive scientists all over the country. The model ensured that every single strategy would be fairly evaluated against the exact same standard, using the same learning conditions in the same time frame. Whew! It was an exhausting research model, so let me summarize the results for you.

Practical Applications

The task was designed so that anyone could get started; no prior knowledge was needed. It was sufficiently complex, so there was plenty of room for improvement. Each researcher was given 10 hours of task time for their participants. There were three primary “winning” learning strategies, each with a strong effect on learning (pre-training, immersion training, and parts training.)

The first strategy was pre-training. Take 10-30 minutes, over one to three weeks, do before an upcoming skill training, teaching what needs to happen before the skill training. Students can rehearse the skill mentally, as well as walk through the steps physically. Focus on a particularly hard or complex area of the upcoming skill. When focused on the cognitive skills needed, pre-training is effective (Millner, Jaroszewski, Chamarthi, Pizzagalli, 2012).

Doing this well allows your students to get immediate acceleration in any task. For example, teach working memory first in math or reading tasks (an 8 to12-week process). This strategy, the analysis, and the teaching of a task based on its smaller components lead to high task success in the exact learning challenge.

The second was an immersion (learning the “whole”) strategy, simply beginning the process with NO advanced training or skill-building at all. What made this work (and what reduced failure rates) were in the instructions. Students were doing the full skill-building, but the instructions varied to focus on different aspects of the task. In this way, they were getting exposure to the ‘big picture’ without the usual overwhelm of information. For example, you say to your students, “In this reading passage, notice how often the author uses adjectives and adverbs to clarify and amplify the meaning.” This strategy leads to greater task durability over time and resistance to distractions. It also has high transfer to other tasks, especially in medicine (Zink, Halaas, Finstad & Brooks, 2008) and language learning (Linck, Kroll & Sunderman, 2009 and Stein, Winkler, Kaiser & Dierks, 2014).

The third strategy that worked was to build micro-skills (learning in “parts”) in parallel with the task (vs. before) that were essential for the overall task. For example, one researcher deducted that smooth and rapid eye movements were critical. They trained these skills as students participated in the tasks. In fact, each key skill area was taught and found successful for skill-building. This strategic approach is called hierarchal, since it posits that teaching core skills will support multiple other task skills. (Ahissar, Nahum, Nelken & Hochstein, 2009).

How do we make this practical?

First, I checked the research to find if there had been any conflicting evidence. Second, I had to check the study design and procedures to determine if and how this translates to the classroom.

Here’s the bottom line: All three strategies are good. The choice you make depends on your students.

If you want high task success with less transfer, stick with the “parts” at a time model.
If you have disadvantaged students, use the “pre-training” model.
For more typical students, use the “immersion” model with targeted instructions for attentional focus.

Skills-building is an essential part of your teaching. You cannot afford to have a broken model or unsuccessful students. Please review each of the three models and choose the one best for you. Rock on!

CEO, Jensen Learning
Brain-Based Education

What Trait Could Change Your Life (for the better)?

A very long time ago, I searched wide and far for role models. I just plain needed someone to believe in. At one point, I heard my role model say, “The quality of your questions will become the quality of your life.” I was, of course, a bit immature, full of myself, and definitely younger back then. I said to myself, “Yeah, sure. Sounds like a lot of Philosophy 101. I’ll pass on it.”

Little did I know that my arrogance would come back to haunt me again and again (as it does with most young people.) Being arrogant and thinking one knows a lot can be a big problem, either at home or school. The answer to the arrogance? Hang on… I will unveil this soon.

After all these years, I only recently discovered a powerful trait that you might be curious about, as well. In this issue, you’ll learn how to rewire your brain for the better. Learn the one trait that will open doors, increase options, and allow you to embrace new joy in life. Do you want to know the trait that will help you have a better life every day? If so, the trait in this post is for you.

Background

Here is this month’s insight. Your brain can be altered, trained, and sculpted to help you thrive daily. And it begins with asking better questions.

First, let’s try out a question with a novel angle. Would you like to be known as the educator with a closed mind, poor growth mindset, unable to tolerate other points of view and unbearable dogmatism? I would hope not. That description sounds like a person unlikely to be serving students very well.

So, what’s the one trait that, if you foster it in your job and personal life, will help things be better?

The one trait you’re about to learn is the “Antidote” to those depressing and life-throttling traits. The trait is intellectual humility.

Intellectual Humility (IH) refers to the recognition that your personal beliefs, including your opinions and even your unverified “facts,” may be wrong. It means you ask honest questions from inside instead of spouting narratives from the media. Intellectual humility is associated with greater openness, ongoing curiosity, tolerance of ambiguity, and low dogmatism. If you recall from the 70’s TV show “All in the Family,” this would be the opposite of Archie Bunker.

Seems like the media is guilty of this continually pushing an “us vs. them” mantra, as well as “we are the good guys and they are not” theme nearly every day. It is arrogant, divisive, and often tears communities and countries apart.

The process for brain-training this month is learning to ask questions that keep doors open, foster a growth mindset, and improve harmony in your life. I am inviting you to delve into a daily, powerful way of influencing yourself, your family, and your students. Yes, there are some who already have this trait; but as I ask myself the hard question, “Who do I know that is truly intellectually humble?” The answer is, “Not many and not enough.”

The Research

First, if we want to encourage intellectual humility (IH), let’s define it. The likely features of IH have been revealed as both cognitive and interpersonal (Leary, et al., 2017). Many researchers have more refined definitions; here are two of the most well-done and valuable studies.

Among these two studies we see that many sub-traits overlap. Each study has its preferred combination of IH traits. Both base their model on theoretical descriptions of intellectual humility, expert reviews, pilot studies, and other analyses (Krumrei-Mancuso & Rouse, 2016).

This first scale measures four distinct (but correlated) aspects of intellectual humility (since there appears to be multiple contributing factors.)

They are:
*independence of intellect and ego (in other words, no matter how ‘smart’ you think you are, you will admit you don’t know it all)
*openness to revising one’s viewpoint (“Earlier I thought A, but now I agree with B.”)
*respect for others’ viewpoints (“I can see your point; that does make sense.”)
*lack of intellectual overconfidence (“I make mistakes all the time; I could be wrong on this.”)

Does that seem like everything is ‘covered’?

Actually, it might not be. In another well-done large study (I am trying to demonstrate IH now…) there is a differing point of view (Alfano, et el., 2017). This study’s four core dimensions were researched and validated, also.

They included:
*open-mindedness (as opposed to Intellectual Arrogance: “I have a lot to learn..”)
*engagement (as opposed to Boredom: “I’d like to learn more about their point of view.”)
*intellectual modesty (as opposed to Intellectual Vanity; demonstrated with “Instead of saying, “I know for a fact…” or “I am certain…”, you choose to say, “I think…”, or “I believe…”, or even, “As of today, what I might say is…”)
*corrigibility (a ‘tough skin’, as opposed to Intellectual Fragility; if you fall apart when someone pokes holes in your logic, do you: a) thank them, b) fire back, or c) curl up and want to hide?

As you can see, between the above sets of trait definitions, there are variations. And yet we also have similarities. Can you see the traits of engaged curiosity and modesty within both? I do. Curiosity is a powerful and positive trait for educators (Roman, 2011). In fact, many studies show it can be life-changing in multiple positive ways (Turner, 2014 and Russell, 2013).

As a kid, I heard the expression, “If you’re going to open your mouth on a subject, you better know almost everything or admit you know nothing.” My takeaway was simple. Be modest about what you know; there’s a pretty good chance you’re NOT the city, state, national or global expert on that topic.

For example, as a young person, as long as I knew more than my peers, I thought I was pretty smart. That’s a low bar and it tells you that my peers were likely experts in different things than me. I should have been more curious about their expertise. Takeaway: if someone shares a counterthought, argument, or story that you believe is untrue, be curious (and avoid being mean or intrusive).

Early in my career, when I was sharing the value of brain-based learning (BBL) to others, I thought I was an expert on the topic. I got into many debates about BBL, some that were published in journals. Maybe I was or maybe I wasn’t an expert. But I discovered I sure had a lot more to learn. Recently, Liesl McConchie and myself re-wrote Brain-Based Learning (3rd edition). We both needed to go back into the topics and re-think many concepts I now know were under-researched at the time. Yes, I continue to promote brain-based learning science and strategies because it is reliable and authentic. But I will keep up my curiosity; I have so much more to learn. And yes, (growth mindset) I am still a subscriber to The Journal of Neuroscience (out every two weeks) and I read it cover to cover!

Practical Applications

Here are three tools you can begin using immediately to foster IH. Plus, you can soak in the specifics of what and when to say it, too. Let’s figure out how we might implement IH.

1) Be engagingly curious. Start with body language. Turn to face the person. Smile when you talk. Lean in when you listen. Use gestures to show you really are engaged. For the verbal messages, use phrases such as, “I was wondering what you meant when you said…” Or, “I had not heard that before. Can you tell me more about it?” Maybe you say, “Sounds like I have a lot to learn to get up to speed. Do you have a resource, a webpage, newsletter, or book you’d suggest?”

2. Be Modest. On the huge bell-shaped curve of expertise in your subject matter (leadership, parenting, teaching, etc.), the true experts would be in the top 10%. As I did my doctoral work on poverty, I discovered so many others who addressed the topic from a different point of view and were amazing experts. Knowing the quality of the large research community helped me foster modesty.

In today’s world, many who get a brief news feed about the pandemic are quick to share it. Doing that gives you status as a ‘giver’ and as one who is ‘connected and smart.’ Unfortunately, over the last two years, much of what has been shared has been distorted, late to the party, or even wrong. But how often did you admit you were wrong about what you said? “But they were the ones who were wrong!” That’s a common response I hear. That response lacks modesty.

To be modest, find common ground. Mentally place yourself on the bell-shaped curve of expertise. There is a good chance that many are your equals or have even more experience or expertise in the topic. Start using phrases such as, “I respect your thinking.” Or, “I would agree that ____ is true.” “I can tell I have so much to learn about this.” And, if you disagree, say, “It seems as if you have a good point. I am not there yet, but I have respect. Seems I have some homework to do.”

3) Be Kind. Being kind around others takes very little effort, just authentic intention. Be a good listener. Listen more than you talk. Give a genuine smile while you make a point or ask a question. It is contagious and can brighten someone else’s day. Kindness means never interrupt others when they are talking. Let them finish unless you have a genuine emergency. Be patient when you listen; no fidgeting or eye rolling. Use a slower, thoughtful voice. And maybe, most importantly of all, give compliments. Thank the other person for sharing. Be appreciative that they listened to you. Maybe it becomes one of the highlights of their day.

Kindness means you use intellectual humility to bring others into the conversation. Maybe you say, “Sam, we haven’t heard from you. I’d love to hear what you are thinking.” Or, you say, “This is so good, hearing all the different viewpoints. My head is spinning. I have a lot to think about.” Thank everyone present for joining in because “each of us rounded out our group” (or maybe just one additional person MADE a group of two). Here, you see the interplay between gratitude and kindness; each feeds off of the other.

Let’s sum up what we have.

Our topic was a core trait for your life: intellectual humility. It is the opposite of one with 1) a closed mind, 2) poor growth mindset, 3) unable to tolerate other points of view, and 4) unbearable dogmatism. If you want to avoid being ‘that person,’ here’s a great way to start your new year. Be aware of how you are around others. Notice when ego gets in the way or you are certain you are right (you might not be right.) Be curious, modest, and a bit more kind this year.

That’s it for this month; it’s closing time. Now for my biggest fear. Maybe you still use the ‘time bias.’ Many will read this newsletter and then respond with, “I’m just too busy; I’ve got no time for those changes to help myself and my students soar like eagles.” If you feel that way, I am sorry – I have failed you. I failed to activate your choice of playing the ‘long game.’ Biases are shortcuts to save time and are often about the ‘short game.’

You see, life goes by so fast that many would say, “Live in the moment, smell the roses, life is short.” And they’re right. Life is about savoring the smell of the flowers, eating a great meal, and enjoying hugs from friends and family.

But most everything in life that’s worth having over a lifetime also requires the ‘the long game.’ At school, it includes building relationships and fostering cognitive capacity. At home, the list includes maintaining relationships, appreciating the daily blessings, and saving for retirement. Choose right now; what have you decided on… long or short? Then begin… right now.

CITATIONS

Alfano, M., Iurino, K., Stey, P., Robinson, B., Christen, M., Yu, F., & Lapsley, D. (2017). Development and validation of a multi-dimensional measure of intellectual humility. PloS one, 12(8), e0182950. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182950

Krumrei-Mancuso EJ, Rouse SV. (2016). The Development and Validation of the Comprehensive Intellectual Humility Scale. J Pers Assess. 98, 209-21.

Leary MR, Diebels KJ, Davisson EK, Jongman-Sereno KP, Isherwood JC, Raimi KT, Deffler SA, Hoyle RH. (2017). Cognitive and Interpersonal Features of Intellectual Humility. Pers Soc Psychol Bull.43, 793-813.

Roman B. (2011). Curiosity: a best practice in education. Med Educ. 45, 654-6.

Russell BH. (2013). Intellectual curiosity: a principle-based concept analysis. ANS Adv Nurs Sci. 36, 94-105.

Turner MS. (2014). The power of curiosity. Science. 344, (6183):449.

5 Paths to Student Success this Year… Where do you start?

The correct answer for you is… it depends. Every teacher, student, school, and community is different. So let’s re-introduce you to your “Top 5 Brain-based Paths” this month. These are what your students need most (you may already be engaging several of these options). But it’s the one you’re missing that will matter the most.

Background

Here is this month’s insight. The human brain can put up with a lot of mistakes in the classroom. But for optimal learning, just 5 things matter. Whenever we design, formulate, or imagine a way of learning, remember the question, “What do our brains truly need?”

Biologically, the following five may be considered as essentials for school: safety, belonging, sense of control, spirit, and self-regulation. Ensure that every day you enhance at least one of the following in your classes. At this moment, your natural inclination is to roll your eyes and say, “I just don’t have the time.” I understand that; these “big five” could each be (and maybe should be) a life-long pursuit. But start with one small step.

1. Sense of control (lowers stress & increases self-efficacy)
2. Sense of belonging (acceptance & friends provide support)
3. Sense of safety (from pandemic, bullying & “isms”)
4. Sense of spirit (curiosity, interest, and relevance in learning)
5. Self-regulation (hopefulness, gratitude, and mind/body health)

Having said that, this monthly newsletter will help you focus on just one thing you can do each day to foster progress. All we are after is the right trajectory. With that in play, students feel progress and embrace the progress with joy and optimism. Let’s get started.

The Research

Sense of control lowers stress and increases self-efficacy. In fact, stress is a physiological response to a perception of a lack of control over a relevant, aversive person or situation. So, increasing your sense of control is truly a strong source for managing unwanted stress. In the classroom, too much stress or too little stress can impair learning and memory formation (Zoladz & Diamond, 2008 and Godoy et al. 2018).

Sense of belonging (acceptance & friends provide support). Students behave in groups with a sense of “risk vs. reward” analysis. Having others on “their side” is a crucial step for willingness to take academic risks (e.g. put out effort for the long haul such as grades). While friendship instability can compromise academic functioning in middle school, the reverse is true. Friendship reciprocity is highly relevant for children’s self-worth and peer identification (Maunder & Monks, 2019). Plus when students lose friends, their academics often suffer (Lessard & Juvonen 2018).

Sense of safety (from COVID, bullying & isms). Safety is tantamount to school attendance and participation. Every potential risk (bullying, sexism, discrimination, etc.) reduces effort and increases discomfort and hope (Williams, Schneider, Wornell & Langhinrichsen-Rohling, 2018).

Sense of spirit (curiosity and interest in learning). Humans have a natural curiosity and learning. Our learning “spirit” or curiosity is a trait that drives students to ask exploratory questions and find creative ways to solve problems at school. But many teachers suppress the natural curiosity and interest by focusing on the “right” path. Curiosity is linked with both academic and personal outcomes (Cain 2019 and Clark, Harbaugh & Seider, 2019). The good news is that curiosity can be fostered and it can have a measurable impact on student learning.

Self-regulation (hopefulness, gratitude, and mind/body health). Managing your stress response is critical for health. There is a significant correlation between self-regulation and educational performance (Sahranavard, Miri & Salehiniya, 2018). In elementary students, evidence supports substantive links between self-regulation and academic achievement in young children (McClelland & Cameron, 2011).

Practical Applications

In the short space we have, there will be just one or two options for you. Each will take from 30” to as much as three minutes. Remember two things. One, it is the aggregate of what you do that matters most, not just one thing. Second, doing the one crucial thing adds up to the aggregate. They both matter! Here are the brain-based things you can do to boost effort, motivation, and learning.

1. Sense of control
Teach students how to calm nerves, stress, or upsets. Begin with slow inhales of 2 breaths, hold for the count of 2, then exhale with 2 breaths, hold for the count of 2, repeat. Do this beginning with mouth breathing, then shift to nose-only breaths. Do this 3-4 times and notice the calming effect (it’s all about control).

2. Sense of belonging
Say to each student sometime during the first week of class, “I am so glad you’re in our class. You belong here and I’ve got your back.”

3. Sense of safety
Clearly state your policy about being safe, bullying, and discrimination in 3 minutes or less. Include students (ask them to repeat it to a neighbor or add a suggestion to it). Make this part of your daily class culture read of 7 statements of your class values.

4. Sense of spirit
Initially use the short-term buy-in tools of the A-B-Cs (anticipation, behavioral relevance, curiosity). “In just 20 seconds, you’ll learn… Or, “Here’s why you might care about this…” And, “Have you ever wondered how… or if…?” Over a longer time, use the personal values of relationships, affiliation, autonomy, status, and mastery.

5. Self-regulation
Teach students the power of reframing. Role-model the process to turn obstacles into opportunities, setbacks into lessons, failures into insights. Then give students examples to reframe with partners or in a team.

Now, for my biggest fear. You have just heard me saying, “Do this differently and you’ll get better results.” Your easiest bias to activate would be the familiarity bias (“Yup; heard this before. Nothing new here. Everybody go home.”) If you do, I am sorry; I have failed you. I failed to activate your choice of playing the ‘long game.’ Biases are shortcuts to save time and are often about the ‘short game.’

You see, life goes by so fast that many would say, “Live in the moment, smell the roses since life is short.” And they’re right. Life is about savoring the smell of fragrant flowers, eating a great meal, and enjoying hugs from friends and family.

But most everything in life that’s worth having over a lifetime requires the ‘the long game,’ too. This includes great health, a solid retirement, bills paid, great friends, and a loving partner. Learn to do the small things today that cost you almost nothing (except maybe a moment of satisfaction) in the short haul.

But over the long haul, you’ll have a chance to extend the number of sunsets you’ll see, have the joy of far more hugs, savor more extraordinary meals you cook or find in a great restaurant.

So, what’s it going to be? Complain or take a deep breath and make small crucial changes? Choose right now. Tell me and your colleagues what you decided on. Then begin.

CITATIONS

Cain J. (2019). We should pay more attention to student curiosity. Curr Pharm Teach Learn. 11, 651-654.

Clark S, Harbaugh AG, Seider S. (2019). Fostering adolescent curiosity through a question brainstorming intervention. J Adolesc. 75, 98-112.

Godoy, L. D., Rossignoli, M. T., Delfino-Pereira, P., Garcia-Cairasco, N., & de Lima Umeoka, E. H. (2018). A Comprehensive Overview on Stress Neurobiology: Basic Concepts and Clinical Implications. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 12, 127.

Knifsend CA, Camacho-Thompson DE, Juvonen J, Graham S. (2018). Friends in Activities, School-related Affect, and Academic Outcomes in Diverse Middle Schools. J Youth Adolesc. 47(6):1208-1220.

Lessard LM, Juvonen J. (2018). Losing and gaining friends: Does friendship instability compromise academic functioning in middle school? J Sch Psychol. 69:143-153.

Maunder R, Monks CP. (2019). Friendships in middle childhood: Links to peer and school identification, and general self-worth. Br J Dev Psychol. 37(2):211-229.

McClelland MM, Cameron CE. (2011). Self-regulation and academic achievement in elementary school children. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev. 133, 29-44.

Sahranavard S, Miri MR, Salehiniya H. (2018). The relationship between self-regulation and educational performance in students. J Educ Health Promot. 28,154.

Williams S, Schneider M, Wornell C, Langhinrichsen-Rohling J. (2018). Student’s Perceptions of School Safety: It Is Not Just About Being Bullied. J Sch Nurs. 34, 319-330.

Zoladz, P. R., & Diamond, D. M. (2008). Linear and non-linear dose-response functions reveal a hormetic relationship between stress and learning. Dose-response: a publication of International Hormesis Society, 7, 132–148.

The Single Health Habit that Beats All Others, Hands Down

It’s time for our summer BrighterBrain® health issue. It’s likely you get more than your share of advice about health; friends, family, and the internet all have their opinions. But what if there was just one thing for you to pay attention to and manage from now on… Interested? If so, this is for you.

Background

In this post, we will discuss inflammation. Unless you lock in on this issue and take action, you will run greater health risks for the rest of your life. Lean in and focus. This is your life we are talking about.

Going back thousands of years, there were perhaps three selection determinants of our survival. We needed the ability to hunt, gather, and efficiently store nutrients to survive times when food sources were scarce. We also had to produce and raise healthy and capable offspring for the next generation. Finally, we needed a robust immune response able to heal injuries and clear bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections to avoid an early death.

Over thirty years ago, I discovered research revealing the interplay between my stress and my immune response. My “ah-ha” moment was realizing that my daily actions were actually regulating something I had taken for granted – my own immune system.

But this issue is about your two immune systems. Yes, you actually have two of them. Your ‘outer’ immune system attacks outside foreign invaders like physical assaults, bacteria, drugs, toxic foods, germs, and viruses by sending healthy white blood cells to fight in the inflamed area. You are exposed to those pathogens daily. Sometimes it’s an accident (like cuts, transmitting sneezes, or bruises) or it may be diet, poor glucose regulation, and other food toxins.

But your ‘inner’ immune system combats threats from within your body. How? As you age, your body begins to accumulate the ‘dead weight’ of damaged, dysfunctional, and unnecessary cells. For example, there are about 30 trillion red blood cells within you, having a lifespan of only 120 days. That means that every four months, your body has used up 30 trillion red blood cells (Freitas, R, 1999). That’s over 60 million red blood cell deaths per minute! Over time, the cellular dead weight just piles up in your body, like trash bags on garbage day. This happens with inactivity, swollen areas, or obesity.

One reason you might look, feel, and act old is because your body is carrying around dead weight. Your inner immune system uses a complex biological process called autophagy (pronounced “aw-toff-a-gee”) to clean your innerbody of the dangerous and excess cellular debris. The rate and quality at which it does this impacts your immune system (Cui et al., 2019). What’s the relevance of this to you?

Every day, as you age, your two immune systems are either: deteriorating or being activated by your purposeful efforts. There are biological rules for how they work (Villani, Sarkizova & Hacohen, 2018). Depending on how you manage your immune systems, you are either increasing your chances for an early death, or not.

How important is your immune system? The CDC website says that in 6% of all COVID deaths, COVID was the sole cause. In 94% of all COVID-19 deaths, there were an average of 2.6 underlying conditions (heart disease, pneumonia, obesity, hypertension, smoking, cancer, etc.). COVID was only the trigger for the cause of death in these patients because their immune system was already compromised. You never want to be in this category.

Let me re-state this another way. The difference between dying of COVID only vs. having COVID plus 2.6 underlying conditions from a compromised immune system is fifteen-fold. And yes, a weakened immune system is linked to chronic illnesses (Fülöp, Dupuis, Witkowski & Larbi, 2016). The list of chronic illnesses includes Alzheimer’s, autoimmune diseases, cancer, cardiovascular issues, Parkinson’s, and tuberculosis.

You now know we each have two immune systems. You know that the underlying conditions are what made COVID a pandemic, not the virus itself. Weaker immune systems lead to long-term inflammation. Stronger immune systems fight off the virus. Let’s unpack what we know, so you can be safe and learn how to foster a robust immune system. (A robust immune system is so important that I work on mine daily.)

The Research

Inflammation is now viewed as the primary driving factor in many diseases, including atherosclerosis, cancer, Parkinson’s, autoimmunity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and a major contributor in most age-related conditions. (Prasad, Sung & Aggarwal, 2011). In fact, your brain and your gut are well-connected and talking to each other constantly (Schluter et al., 2020). Because of their key role in your survival, your immune systems are quite sophisticated.

Immune System Disruptors
Central nervous system depressants like alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids, barbiturates, and other sedatives can impair your immune system function (Piano, 2017). Drugs which suppress immune functioning (there are over 100 of them) can increase risk levels for other diseases. You can hear the disclaimers for these drugs on their TV commercial spots.

Inflammatory Foods
Foods which disrupt your immune system dysregulate your glucose levels. This internal glucose balance is referred to as homeostasis. When we eat sugars (ice cream, cake, pies, artificial sweeteners) or high starch vegetables (white potatoes), glucose levels go up. If you’re a fan of sugar (pastries, treats, cakes, pies, candy bars, etc.) or starchy fruits (e.g. bananas) and carbohydrates (chips, rice, pastas, etc.), glucose levels go up. If you eat a diet high in carbs (potato, vegetable oils, rice, and pasta), you may be triggering more glucose than your body needs for energy. When you consume excess glucose (that which is unneeded for daily energy), it gets stored as fat.

My personal rule is, “I splurge my urge once a week.” For me, that could happen with an evening meal (e.g. splurge with chips with my healthy guacamole). Maybe once a month, I have a breakfast splurge (my favorite splurge is waffles with healthy blueberries, cinnamon, and whipped cream.) Outside of a once-a-week splurge, I keep my glycemic levels right where I like them: LOW, LOW & LOW!

Higher glucose variability and higher/more peak glucose levels are each independently associated with accelerated onset of disease and death, even in non-diabetics. Higher glucose variability (from sugars) in non-diabetics is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, frailty, cardiovascular death, cancer death, and death from any cause, compared to lower glucose variability.

Why have so many died from COVID? In many cases, there was a constant state of low-grade inflammation, especially present in overweight people. Obesity weakens the immune responses, including those launched by T cells, which can directly kill infected cells. Yet, obesity is also a state of chronic inflammation that promotes the development of insulin resistance and diabetes (systemic) for over 30% of the adult population in the USA (Izaola, de Luis, Sajoux, Domingo & Vidal, 2015).

In the vast majority of cases, today’s ‘normal’ individual is tomorrow’s diabetic patient, unless something is done to detect and prevent the rise of inflammation. Not only that, but prospective studies also demonstrate a continuous increase in the associated risk for cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular death, and deaths from all causes.

Practical Applications

Here’s one way to help your immune system. Not long ago, I said, “Woo-hoo! I’m getting the COVID vaccine.” The prevailing national ‘push’ was to get everyone fully vaccinated (which I am now.) Was I helping my innate immune system? Yes, that system is likely better. Now, let’s see what else we can do.

Remember there are two types of immune systems. Your ‘outer’ immune system attacks outside foreign invaders. Your ‘inner’ immune system combats threats from within your body. The approach we are going to advocate is the following three simple tools.

Step One: Outsmart the foreign invaders

The ugly, unnecessary, and scary… Reduce inflammatory foods. These foods harm your gut: highly processed foods and foods that have a high concentration of fat or sugar (e.g., simple carbohydrates, chips, rye cereal, soft drinks, ice cream, fruit jams or jellies.) Avoid factory farmed, grain-fed red meats. Start eating less processed oils (canola or soy), breads, chips and crackers. If it comes in a box, can, or jar be cautious and eat less of it.

Eat well and treat your gut well. Over 70% of your entire immune system is in your gut. Eating right will support your healing. Start with Kefir, unprocessed yogurt, and sauerkraut. Each provide a different variety of gut probiotic bacteria. Fresh produce, including grapes, cabbage, peaches, peppers, and spinach are known to harbor large, healthy bacterial populations. Broccoli (steam lightly, add a sash of honey and mustard seeds) has sulfurophane, one of the best antioxidants on the planet. If you dislike broccoli, go to Amazon and purchase Avmacol® tablets.

Eat the good fats. Be sure to include good fats in your diet to support autophagy. Good fats include avocados, cold water fish (wild salmon is a good option), eggs, bacon, olives, and olive oil. Enjoy high fat nuts like walnuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts. Eat healthy nut butters (like almond or macadamia). Eat foods that are high in soluble fiber, such as flaxseed, beans, apples, oats, and oat bran. Weekly I will eat 90% of everything you read from this list. Plus, the following spices are highly anti-inflammatory: ginger, black pepper, capsicum, cinnamon, and turmeric. Supplement with Omega 3 from Nordic Naturals. All are available from Amazon. I take each of these daily.

Step Two: Move your body

The good news is you can trigger the autophagy process within the next five minutes. And all it takes is breaking a sweat. Movement is a great stress manager. It’s like a vaccine, which in small doses can ‘inoculate’ you against stressors. Also, manage your stress levels by boosting oxygen activity (to temporarily stress your body), and deep breathing to oxygenate your body.

Exercise cleans out the ‘dead weight’ in organs that keep your metabolism working properly (He & Sumpter, et al. 2012). Learn to exercise like your ancestors. I do a 10-12 minute workout everyday. What works best for autophagy is short-duration, but high intensity workouts. There’s a clip of these short, intense exercises at youtube.com/watch?v=ub0eov_MxJs

By the way, as long as you’re moving your body, do some of it outdoors. If you spend a lot of time indoors, get out now to walk, sit in a park, breath air. Why? The outside air is packed with healthy bacteria you would never find indoors.

Step Three: Take out the trash

Move your dead cells out of your body. You can do this two ways; change your eating or do ICR (Intermittent Caloric Restriction). Let’s start with what you eat. Trash the low-fat advice. Get most of your calories from fats in the following list of plant-based fats: coconut oil, avocados, and dairy. Yes, I grow coconuts, but in between annual harvests I buy Amazon’s Nutiva Organic Coconut Manna. I eat avocados year round, usually 3-4 times a week. Or, you may prefer dairy: Grass-fed cow’s milk, grass-fed half and half, and grass-fed heavy cream. Of those three, I admit to a big bias for coconut, which I often turn into super health bars. Now, let’s address when you eat.

Intermittent Caloric Restriction or Fasting. Ease into it with small steps. Close up the kitchen after dinner. No more TV snacking. Ever. After a week or two, lengthen your fast. You eat only during a six hour window. Eat a healthy breakfast and lunch, or a healthy lunch and dinner. For example, eat one meal at 11 a.m. and a second before 7 p.m. Or eat breakfast at 7 a.m. and your lunch before 1 p.m. Do this for one day a week. Then add another, then another. Yes, you will lose weight doing this. I did this for 5 days each week (3 months), two years ago (I lost 10 pounds). Doing this plan gives your body an 18-hour fast every single day. Just writing this article reminded me to restart this ‘dead cell-clearing task’ to help my body stay healthy.

Now for my biggest fear. You have just heard me saying, “Eat different, exercise, and take out the trash.” Your easiest bias to activate would be the familiarity bias (“Yup; heard this before. Nothing new here. Everybody go home”). If you do, I am sorry; I have failed you. I failed to activate your choice of playing the ‘long game.’ Biases are shortcuts to save time and are often about the ‘short game.’

But most everything in life that’s worth having over a lifetime requires the ‘the long game,’ too. This includes great health, a solid retirement, bills paid off, great friends, and a loving partner. Learn to do the small things today that cost you almost nothing (except maybe a moment of satisfaction) in the short haul.

But over the long haul, you’ll have a chance to extend the number of sunsets you’ll see, have the joy of far more hugs, savor more extraordinary meals you cook or find in a great restaurant.

So, what’s it going to be? Complain about your body for decades, dying before your time, or reduce inflammation and extend your healthspan? Choose right now. Tell me and your family what you decided on. Then begin.

Eric Jensen
CEO, Jensen Learning
Brain-Based Education

CITATIONS:

Buscemi S, Verga S, Cottone S, Azzolina V, Buscemi B, Gioia D, Cerasola G. (2009). Glycaemic variability and inflammation in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Acta Diabetol. 46, 55-61.

Cui B, Lin H, Yu J, Yu J & Hu Z. (2019). Autophagy and the Immune Response. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1206:595-634.

(Freitas, R, 1999). Nanomedicine, Volume I: Basic Capabilities Chapter 8. Landes Bioscience, Georgetown, TX, 1999.

Fülöp T, Dupuis G, Witkowski JM, Larbi A. (2016). The Role of Immunosenescence in the Development of Age-Related Diseases. Rev Invest Clin. 68, 84-91.

He C, Sumpter R JR., et al. (2012). “Exercise induces autophagy in peripheral tissues and in the brain.” Autophagy. 8,1548-51.

Herman, M. A., & Kahn, B. B. (2006). Glucose transport and sensing in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis and metabolic harmony. The Journal of clinical investigation, 116(7), 1767–1775.

Izaola O, de Luis D, Sajoux I, Domingo JC, Vidal M. (2015). Inflammation and Obesity. Nutr Hosp. 31,2352-8.

Netea, M. G., Balkwill, F., Chonchol, M., Cominelli, F., Donath, M. Y., Giamarellos-Bourboulis, E. J., … Dinarello, C. A. (2017). A guiding map for inflammation. Nature immunology, 18,826–831.

Piano MR. (2017). Alcohol’s Effects on the Cardiovascular System. Alcohol Res. 38,219-241.

Prasad, S., Sung, B., & Aggarwal, B. B. (2011). Age-associated chronic diseases require age-old medicine: role of chronic inflammation. Preventive medicine, 54 Suppl (Suppl), S29–S37.

Schluter J, Peled JU, Taylor BP, Markey KA, Smith M, Taur Y, Niehus R, Staffas A, Dai A, Fontana E, Amoretti LA, Wright RJ, Morjaria S, Fenelus M, Pessin MS, Chao NJ, Lew M, Bohannon L, Bush A, Sung AD, Hohl TM, Perales MA, van den Brink MRM, Xavier JB. (2020). The gut microbiota is associated with immune cell dynamics in humans. Nature. 588, 303-307.

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