The CEO, the chief executive officer, is responsible for everything in a company.
The CEO of the body, the brain, is responsible for everything in you.
If you believe that the brain is only in charge of thinking and memory, think again.
The foundation of your success in life is your mindset.
The quality of your brain will determine your mental and physical health, your successes or failures, your relationships, and your job satisfaction. It will determine the level of your happiness, sadness, outlook on life, social life, even how well you do as a lover!
Your brain works differently when you are calm and relaxed, compared to when you are troubled, stressed, anxious, fearful, depressed, or angry.
When your brain is troubled, you are more likely to react in an impulsive and careless way—an inappropriate way.
Your behaviour in any social situation depends on the function of the brain’s frontal lobe, and more specifically, the prefrontal cortex, located below the forehead. The frontal lobe controls and regulates other parts of the brain.
The prefrontal cortex controls executive functions, which include abstract thinking, planning, judgment, thought analysis (determining what is good or bad for you), and, most importantly, it regulates your behaviour. These are just some of the prefrontal cortex’s roles.
The link between a person’s personality and the function of his or her prefrontal cortex has been known about for years. A person with a low degree of function in this part of the brain shows aggressive, impulsive, and inappropriate social behaviour.
Your success at work depends on your ability to make good decisions, your capacity to plan effectively, and your technical and social skills, all of which are functions of the prefrontal cortex. Your success at work depends on the function of your brain.
If you find yourself catching a cold easily, or becoming sick often, think about your stress levels. Stressors (anything that causes stress) send signals to the part of the brain known as the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus sends messages to the autonomic nervous system.
How the brain processes incoming information from stressors (‘is this stressful for me, or not’?) will determine your reaction. If you see the stressor as a danger, you are then primed to experience stress in response. When stress increases, the immune system weakens. With a weaker immune system, you are ill more of the time.
This is how the brain influences stress levels, the immune system, and health.
What has the brain to do with obesity? Everything!
If you are obese, the problem could be in your brain. You might be obese for many different reasons, but many factors depend on your brain functions. The brain manages your digestion, hormone levels, mood, and stress response, all of which are involved in obesity.
Maybe the obesity you suffer from stems from inadequate brain function.
If you are satisfied with your romantic situation, say ‘thank you’ to your brain. Your love life is basically another function of your brain.
I could further explain the part the brain plays in attention, motivation, sleep, or memory, but for this article I have already said enough.
Keep your brain healthy! How, though?
Pay attention to your stress levels, food intake, alcohol and caffeine consumption, exercise, hobbies, and social life. Learn something new; this will make new connections in your brain. And above all, do not smoke or use street drugs.
Yes, everything in your life depends on your brain. Your brain is your CEO.