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The No.1 Brain Doctor: "This Parenting Mistake Ruins Your Kids Brain!", "Alcohol or Marijuana Will Destroy Your Brain!", "A Stagnant Career Can Increase Your Chance Of Alzheimers!" - Dr Daniel Amen
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How to Calm Your Worries
At 58:10 · chapter starts 53:13
Most people think of negative thinking as a habit or personality trait. Dr. Amen's recently published study on negativity bias shows it's also a neurological event: chronic negative thinking decreases activity in the prefrontal cortex, impairing motivation, focus, and mood. [1] — Dr. Daniel Amen "Don't worry, be happy people die earliest: A Stanford study starting in 1921 following 1,548 ten-year-old children found that the 'don't wo…" 47:14 But the solution isn't naive optimism. A Stanford study that began in 1921 and tracked 1,548 ten-year-old children across their lifetimes found something counterintuitive: the carefree, low-anxiety 'don't worry, be happy' people died earliest from accidents and preventable illnesses. The people who lived longest were consistently conscientious — those who showed up when they said they would, reliably and repeatedly. This, Amen explains, is a frontal lobe signature. High frontal lobe function drives the disciplined habits — good sleep, proper nutrition, avoiding substances — that in turn protect the frontal lobes. The chapter also tackles the neuroscience of New Year resolutions: relapse happens predictably when you're sleep-deprived, blood sugar is low, hormonal cycles are at their worst, or ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) are flooding in. The real goal isn't a six-pack — it's better frontal lobe function.
Every anxious, angry, or sad thought can be killed with four questions: Is it true? Is it absolutely true? How does it make you feel and act? How would you feel without it? Then flip the thought to its opposite and meditate on that instead. This is the single most teachable brain health skill.
Research cited by Dr. Amen shows that people who watch the news in the morning are 27% less happy in the afternoon, demonstrating the brain-programming effect of negative media.
