Brain Health Blog

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center led by Hilary Tindale analyzed data accumulated over eight years on 97,253 women ages 50 and older. The study found that women who were more optimistic in disposition were 30% less likely to die of heart disease and 14% less likely to die from all other causes over their pessimistic peers. This brings up the question: To what extent do our thoughts influence health, and particularly for our interests here, how do our thoughts influence brain health?

One of the philosophy classes I teach is called “Critical and Creative Thinking” and in this class we spend a great deal of time discussing the nature of our perceptions. We take a close look at how we perceive the world and the manner in which our perceptions influence our behavior towards others and our own self. The class is intended to inculcate a more rational view of reality, our immediate surroundings, and our relationships with others. It seems that if we perceive the world irrationally (as for example a paranoid person may) the world around us appears threatening, gloomy, and perhaps full of pain. Further, our perceptions of what the future may bring seems to be largely influenced by our general disposition.

I recently read a post on The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Forum that really rang true. The poster said, “proceed with all thoughts, words, and deeds assuming only the best intentions from everyone you encounter; suspect malice only when you have exhausted all other explanations.” Can we possibly live this way? Is this a rational approach to reality?

One of the things that has struck me over the years is the phenomenon of the self-fulfilling prophecy. I am intrigued with the manner in which our thoughts influence the creation of reality and how they impact our day to day lives. If we think more positively about our lives, will they in fact be more positive? Do we in some sense create our own destiny?

I am sure we have all been exposed to people who are either really dour about life and those who seem to find a silver lining in everything. My mom is one of those people who seems to have the uncanny ability to find the positive aspects of just about any situation. She is generally happy with what life brings and tries to make the most out of every opportunity. I have noticed how her attitude affects her emotional well-being much more as an adult myself and find her disposition towards life’s events to be rather refreshing.

Yet, can we say that one’s attitude or orientation towards life has an effect on one’s health? It may be relatively easy to suggest that attitude plays a role in happiness, but what about the more scientifically rigorous concept of “health”?

I am personally under the impression that the nature of our thoughts and impressions do have an impact on health. While the University of Pittsburgh study focused on heart health rather than brain health, I have the strong sense that a similar correlation between one’s mental attitude and brain health could be made and scientifically verified. Our thoughts and perceptions are in large measure guided by our will. Our will-power is much more efficacious on health than I think most of us realize. We can exercise the will for good or evil, for the positive or negative. How we orient our wills may be one of the most important cognitive tasks we have as human beings for our own well-being and those close to us.

The recent Nature article (Dec. 2008) entitled “Towards Responsible Use of Cognitive-Enhancing Drugs by the Healthy”  has created quite a stir and has touched on a few of the trends now becoming apparent in the burgeoning field of neuroethics.

The hot new field of neuroethics is a sub-field of bioethics or biomedical ethics where debates pertaining to enhancement of the brain by pharmacological or technological means are brought into a philosophical framework.  While neuroethics is not centered solely on the issue of cognitive enhancement, the questions arising in lieu of enhancement of the brain seem to be the most interesting to address.

Centers dedicated to the study of neuroethics are beginning to crop up throughout the world perhaps most notably with the recent opening of the Centre for Neuroethics at Oxford University in England.  Led by Julian Savulescu, the Centre for Neuroethics at Oxford is likely to become one of the most prominent.  In the United States, the University of Pennsylvania has been one of the leading institutions examining the new field by attracting both neuroscientists and philosophers to help shed light on some of the key issues involved (see http://neuroethics.upenn.edu).

The stakes are high and public policy decisions will likely be made in the near future to address the increasing interest in cognitive enhancement to improve work performance, scholastic aptitudes, and memory deficits as we age.  Many scientists (see Nature article mentioned above) contend that cognitive enhancers should be allowed to be responsibly used by healthy adults to help improve their neurochemistry or to enhance the functioning of their brains.  Julian Savulescu of Oxford contends that human beings may be ethically compelled to utilize smart drugs and cognitive enhancers to help promote a state of “well-being” and perhaps to advance one’s lot in life.  

So, the questions are just now beginning to be raised.  Should healthy adults be permitted to take drugs or brain enhancements designed for those with Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit disorder (ADD), or neurodegenerative conditions?  Ought citizens of a free country or state have the right to use such enhancements to improve their mental performance?  Do cognitive enhancement drugs help one achieve a state of better overall “well-being” because the quality of their lives have increased due to heightened perceptions and a broader capacity to think? While the questions are just now beginning to be raised, we are seemingly just at the start of a new revolution in cognitive enhancement technologies that may alter the contours of human life.

During one of my classes while I was in graduate school, a friend and fellow student leaned over to me and said something to the effect of "the only thing that makes sense to me is health." I didn't think too terribly much about his statement at the time, but the more I reflected on it, the more I was intrigued by both the simplicity and profundity of his assertion.

Throughout my studies in philosophy and theology, I found myself increasingly unsure of many of the tenants and belief systems that were proposed.  I felt as Descartes once did in the sense that I began questioning everything that I had been taught and supposedly “knew”.  I began asking “Is there anything I could be sure of beyond all reasonable doubt?”  My thoughts kept percolating and continue to this day, but one of the reasons I got more involved with brain health is due to the simple fact that it made sense to me.  I “knew” on an intuitive and experiencial level that what I consumed on a daily basis had a direct impact on how I felt throughout the day and even the kinds of thoughts I was having.  The neurochemical basis of my awareness and consciousness seemed relatively self-evident.

The idea that health makes sense is primarily pragmatic and experiential.  You can test out your hypotheses on yourself.  If you eat, smoke, or drink something, you can usually feel the effects fairly rapidly.  While some brain nutrients and cognitive enhancers may take some time to see any noticeable effects, at some point you are able to begin making assessments on your assumptions and experimentation.  Essentially we can ask ourselves, “How do I feel?”  and “What kind of thoughts am I having?”

Here in south florida where I live, one of the places I frequent quite often is Tropical Smoothie Cafe.  Their motto is “Eat better- Feel better” and my experience in matters pertaining to brain health could not express things any better.  What we consume has a dramatic impact on how we feel and how our bodies react to the immediate environment.  If we eat low quality foods, our states of mind and how we feel can be dramatically effected by these seemingly simple decisions we make daily.

My research into depression and attention deficit disorders has further convinced me that the quality of our nutritional intake on a day to day basis can effect how we see the world around us and virtually all of our perceptions.  I know personally that when I dodn’t eat reasonably healthy meals or get enough sleep, I feel lethargic throughout the day and in basically a miserable mood.  However, when I eat right and get a good night’s rest, I am much more upbeat and full of energy.

How and what we eat impacts how and what we think.  Not only the quality of our thoughts are effected, but also their overall tonality.  Our thoughts seem to carry with them a feeling dimension to them and the connections between our thoughts and emotions are intimately in a relationship with one another.