Brain Electrician Training 103
The last couple of posts we’ve looked at one of the golden rules of neurophysiology: “neurons that fire together wire together”. We talked about how these linkages are very powerful in our thought patterns and motor patterns and how the linkages allow things to feel “automatic”. Another golden rule - of arguably equal importance - is the exact opposite phenomenon: “Neurons our of sync, fail to link”. It’s not that one rule is positive and the other is negative, both can swing to either side of the pendulum.
Neurons firing out of sync with each other will not create strong bonds/linkages together because they aren’t “on” at the same time. For simplicity sake, let’s pick out just a couple of neurons (you’ll recall there are billions taking up residence in our brains): Neuron A lives in the happiness region of our brain and Neuron B is part of the “freak out” chain that’s triggered when we’re terrified of something. These two aren’t likely to have links with each other and/or “set each other off” as they would rarely have occasion to be on at the same time. We could say they are like being in completely different lines of dominos. When we see something cute and cuddly, neuron A is likely to turn on, but neuron B is not. If we’re scared of spiders and one starts crawling up our leg, it’s very unlikely that neuron A is going to be on, that’s neuron B’s job. And because they are not firing at the same time (aka not “in sync”), they are not going to make strong bonds to each other - so they ain’t gonna link. As we move through our lives, our experiences and emotions will act as little electricians, constantly rewiring and reorganizing how our brains work. Neurons that we logically think “should” be out of sync with each other can sometimes link when we start associating certain things together, either consciously or subconsciously. Inevitably, the more often neurons turn on at the same time, the more likely they are to begin to link.
Sometimes we end up making links that are not helpful or healthy for us. It can be hard to comprehend why people respond so differently to the same set of circumstances, but it comes down to how each of our experiences, interpretations and focus have wired us. What can be a harmless comment or image to one person can fire up all sorts of anxiety, anger and resentment in another. In addition to showing kindness to others, it is equally important to be compassionate and patient with ourselves when we feel our response to something doesn’t logically match the current situation. It will take some work, but know that these golden rules are golden for a reason, so it is possible for us to change and we aren’t a lost cause. Neurons that have no business being linked and that aren’t helpful for us can be broken when we make a conscious effort to create different linkages and paths. The more we can catch ourselves and force new directions, the more out of sync these neurons will become and so the links will become weak and eventually break. (FYI: you may be able to do some rewiring yourself, or you might need a little help from the pros, either way being aware of what’s happening is half the battle!)
On the flip side, sometimes we aren’t making the links between regions of our brain that would be healthy because our environment simply isn’t fostering the development of these connections. Unfortunately, without experiences and interactions that fire certain regions of the brain together, the neurons there don’t get a chance to be in sync and so simply aren’t going to link. For example, watch a group of school-aged children “hanging out” these days - or even adults for that matter. All too often, they are sitting (usually slumped over) in the same room together, but each is on their own device and there isn’t much interaction. Compare this environment to what was more common in the past - playing soccer together, building forts and towers, working on projects, or going on adventures. We are not likely to develop the same values in relationships, the same perseverance and patience, and the same responses to others (or empathy) that we once did. We also aren’t developing our important motor skill foundations as well either because we simply aren’t actively playing as much. And, we aren’t getting the chance to properly match our experiences (actual..not virtual) to our emotions. Instead, links are being created which teach us that happiness and gratification come from winning games on our phones, rather than playing and interacting with each other to reach a goal. We need these neurons to be firing in sync so that we can create the linkages that will be important for us in our lives moving forward. This is not to say all technology is evil and kids shouldn’t ever play games on their phones/computers, but as adults we just need to be aware that this is how the brain works. We need to provide and foster environments that develop healthy connections for ourselves and our young people - both outwardly and within our brains.
It takes work to create the linkages that are desirable and helpful for us and our children, and it takes work to break them too. Positive or negative, it doesn’t matter, the golden rules remain the same, there’s no way around it. Neurons that fire together, will wire together and neurons that are out of sync, will fail to link. Knowledge is power, so leverage these rules and think about how you can use them to your advantage, not your detriment.