Yanwen’s blog

I've been taking notes as I read, but for now, I'd like to share one idea that immediately caught my attention.

The book emphasizes neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to change and adapt throughout life. This concept is not new to us anymore. But the authors also introduce an interesting psychological term: eustress, or positive stress. Unlike harmful stress, eustress can motivate us, improve our performance, and encourage personal growth.

A life without any challenges may seem comfortable, but too much comfort can make us mentally passive. Our brains need stimulation, not just relaxation.

This reminds me of Nietzsche's famous words: "What does not kill me makes me stronger."

When it comes to healthy brain aging, the book recommends not only a healthy diet, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep, but also what it calls cognitive anti-habit training.

My understanding is that we should deliberately break some of our routines and challenge ourselves to do things differently. For example:

• Avoid always taking the same familiar routes.

• Deliberately use your non-dominant hand—for example, your left hand if you are right-handed.

• Read books on subjects you normally wouldn't choose.

• Engage in conversations with people whose opinions differ from yours.

• Learn a foreign language or take up a musical instrument.

These activities may feel awkward, unfamiliar, or even frustrating at first. But that is part of the point. When we step outside our usual routines and make an effort to learn something new, we give our brains opportunities to adapt and develop.

This idea particularly resonates with me because it reminds me of my own experience learning to play the piano. There were moments when I felt so frustrated that I was tempted to give up. My fingers wouldn't cooperate, I couldn't get the notes right, and progress seemed painfully slow.

But now, knowing that my brain is growing, I feel differently. Those frustrating moments were signs that I was challenging my brain to learn something new. The struggle is part of the growth.

By contrast, when everything becomes too familiar and effortless, we may simply be repeating what we already know rather than developing new abilities.

Another point the book makes is the importance of avoiding too much passive entertainment, such as binge-watching short videos. Instead of allowing information to flow endlessly into our brains, we should make an effort to process it, question it, and do something with it.

The opposite of passive consumption is active engagement: writing, lecturing, teaching, discussing, debating, and creating. These activities require us to organize our thoughts, retrieve information, form opinions, and express ourselves.

Modern technology has made our lives more convenient and comfortable than ever. But we should be careful not to let convenience turn us into passive consumers or comfort keep us from challenging ourselves.

It may sound extreme to say that convenience is a trap and comfort is poison. But it is not far from the truth.

More thoughts to come...