How to Optimize Brain Function and Promote Neuroplasticity with Nicole Vignola
The ability of the brain to adapt and change due to experience is called neuroplasticity. This umbrella term refers to the brain’s ability to change, grow neural networks, and reorganize.
It can involve functional changes due to structural changes while you’re learning or can be altered due to brain damage. How does neuroplasticity affect us in the long run? And how can we develop it to help optimize our brain function better?
Our Guest
In this episode, we would like to introduce you to Nicole Vignola. Nicole is a neuroscientist that focuses on cognitive neuroscience that investigates high-risk decision-making.
Her previous research drew upon adult synaptic plasticity, whereby she reconstructed a section of the adult mouse somatosensory cortex using computer-based analytics to explore the wiring diagram of the human brain.
This served as a springboard for further interest and research into the plasticity of mindset change and how these principles can be adopted into everyday living.
Nicole is also a business owner and entrepreneur who coaches individuals and consults with organizations on brain health, longevity, mindset change, and optimization using science-based evidence.
Questions for our Guest
The questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We often go off-topic, so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas, please let us know.
Looking forward to our conversation!
These are the questions you had in Calendly. We’ll go off your questions and wherever else our conversation goes.
Can you give us a little background about yourself?
What are your previous research experiences?
What is optimal brain health everyone should be aware of?
How do you optimize your brain for maximal performance?
Talk to us about the neuroplasticity of mindset change. How can you adopt the principles into everyday life?
What are science-based methods for mental resilience and managing burnout?
What happens in the default mode network?
Knowing everything about brain and mental health, what does your day-to-day routines?
ENDING QUESTIONS
Before we end the show, we have one last question we like to ask all our guests.
If you had the opportunity to have a Cup of coffee with anybody one last time, who would it be & why?
Links:
Connect with Nicole on Instagram and learn more about how our brain works at @nicoleneuroscience
Here’s how you can benefit from changing your mindset, watch this full episode 👇👇👇
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction 02:11 About Nicole Vignola 03:35 How to enhance judgment under pressure 10:21 Does the brain react differently to physical stress compared to emotional stress? 12:40 The positive effects of sleep 14:04 The optimal sleep cycle for enhancing mental health 20:31 Actions you can take to sharpen your brainpower 25:10 Do cold baths and marijuana aid in sleep? 28:08 Tips on improving cognitive function 29:03 Does alcohol aid in sleep? 30:00 How neuroplasticity works 34:55 How long does it take for someone to form a habit? 36:53 Neuroplasticity versus addiction 40:18 Tips for developing mental strength 44:06 Amazing cognitive benefits of exercising 50:51 Where does consciousness comes from 52:11 Wrapping up the show
Sports psychology is a practical skill that helps address athletes’ optimal performance and well-being. How can this be used? And what do you know about sports psychology?
Traumas and repressed emotions can affect us in the long run. Some of us can handle these emotions well, while others displace them, creating more trauma, stress, fear, anger, resentment, depression, and anxiety.
How can people heal from this? Is there a way to work through these feelings?
In this episode, we would like to introduce you to Sean O’Connor. Sean is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) at Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling in Scarsdale, NY.
He specializes in sports psychology and trauma-informed counseling to help adults and athletes overcome anger, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and stress.
To treat his patients, he uses a combination of EMDR therapy, mindfulness, meditative science, polyvagal theory for nervous system regulation, and neurofeedback when working with clients.
Sean loves working with athletes and survivors of past trauma to help them heal from the past, love the present, and have hope for the future.
Questions for Our Guest
The questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We often go off-topic, so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas, please let us know.
Looking forward to our conversation!
These are the questions you had in Calendly. We’ll go off your questions and wherever else our conversation goes.
Can you give us a little background about yourself?
2. How did you get into Sports Psychology & what is sports psychology?
3. How do Athletes cultivate their identity?
4. What does it take to improve your mental health?
What is the simplicity of happy living?
What are some common stigmas in mental health?
5. How does holistic health play a role in mental health?
6. What is the Polyvagal theory?
7. What is the problem with the age of information?
8. Martial arts
ENDING QUESTIONS
Before we end the show, we have one last question we like to ask all our guests. If you had the opportunity to have a Cup of coffee with anybody one last time, who would it be & why?
Do you want to know more about sports psychology? Click here for more 👇👇👇
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction 02:11 About Sean O’Connor 08:41 What is the language of an Athlete 12:13 The most frequent problems that athletes face 15:35 What transpires when an athlete leaves their sport 17:37 How to guide struggling athletes 22:34 What are the traits of an athlete 25:27 How to overcome extreme pressure and performance anxiety 30:38 How to communicate to a person who is tense and fearful 36:02 How important is physical health to mental health 40:16 How to recognize danger and when it exists 43:25 How our emotions make our consciousness 48:18 The negative impacts of the modern age of information 52:31 What makes EMDR more efficient 58:43 How martial arts enhance both mental and physical health 01:08:03 How martial arts foster self-control 01:11:45 The significance of a warm community 01:19:48 What separates an elite athlete from the rest 01:22:13 Wrapping up the show
How Your Mindset Affects Your Life with Gary Clinton
Your mindset affects your life in ways you don’t even expect. The truth is that many factors could affect our mental health.
It could be stress, frustrations, or pent-up emotions that we cannot express. It could also be pressure at work, studies, or it could also be the way you think. We tend to put pressure on ourselves.
And when we can’t fight these, it will indeed affect us. It is also the reason why many of us suffer from depression and anxiety.
But is there a way to combat these mental health issues? How can we keep a healthy mind? And most importantly, how can your mindset affect your health and life in general?
In this episode, we would like to introduce you to Gary Clinton. Gary Clinton is a mental health enthusiast passionate about mental health, dreams, nutrition, fitness, and creating a ripple effect on this earth to change human consciousness.
We talk about the philosophy of life and how Gary overcame depression to become the person he is today.
QUESTIONS FOR GUESTS
The questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We go off-topic, so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas, please let us know. We are looking forward to our conversation!
These are the questions you had in Calendly. We’ll go off your questions and wherever else our conversation goes.
QUESTIONS:
You told us that you lost your father. How did you cope with a death of a loved one? How did it affect your childhood?
What were you trying to emotionally escape from? How did you deal with depression?
What is the value of talking to someone?
How do you clean up the mind?
What are non-negotiable habits? And how important are they?
How do you describe life and suffering in a metaphor?
Any words of wisdom for people suffering from depression?
How do we overcome suffering?
ENDING QUESTIONS
Before we end the show, we have one last question we like to ask all our guests.
If you had the opportunity to have a Cup of coffee with anybody one last time, who would it be & why?
To learn more about how our mindset works and mental health, check out Gary on Instagram @mentalhealthhelp.ie for more helpful lessons and tips that you can use in life.
Learn more about your mindset by watching this full episode. Click here for the best advice! 👇
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Introduction 01:38 About Gary Clinton 05:58 How acceptance molds our future 07:57 Coping with the loss of a father and Healing Childhood 11:13 Escaping emotions and dealing with depression 14:48 Value of talking to someone 18:13 Goals, Dreams, and going through change 21:36 Shifting perspective 25:39 Tools to keep you on track 27:33 Cleaning up the mind 32:43 The non-negotiable habits 40:18 Metaphors for life and suffering 58:19 Wrapping up the episode
Many of us suffer from certain types of mental disorders, and treating mental illness early on is essential to help the individual. Reaching out to talk to someone, seeking medical help, or getting the proper diagnosis can help you in many ways.
And while no treatment can cure all, individuals can choose a combination of treatments that works best for them.
Our Guest
In this episode, we would like to introduce you to Morgan Murray. Morgan is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner from Baltimore, Maryland. Morgan has been a travel nurse since 2014 and worked across the United States.
She also owns a private mental health practice and works as a private contractor. She also is the co-author of ‘So you want to be a nurse,’ a how-to guide for success in nursing, travel nursing, and opening up your practice from A-Z.
We talk about the roles of a psych NP and how mental health issues are treated.
QUESTIONS FOR GUESTS
The questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We go off-topic, so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas, please let us know.
Looking forward to our conversation!
Morgan, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Where has your nursing career taken you?
How was the transition to becoming a psych NP, and why did you choose psych?
How does it feel to own private practice?
How did you get started with it?
You grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. How was life there for you?
I spent a few weeks there, and it is similar to Chicago. Lots of drugs, homeless, and violence.
Did growing up there push you in the psych direction, or is there an event in your life that inspired you to pursue psych?
As a psych NP, what do your day-to-day activities look like?
Many nurses want to become psych NPs. Can you offer some insight on schooling and what your career consists of?
You’re at the forefront of mental health. Are there specific mental health issues that are more prevalent than others?
What percentage of patients benefit from psychiatric drugs? We’ve heard it’s around 50%?
Psychiatric medications alone do not cure mental illness. Are there adjusted therapies people do?
You’ve studied under financial experts such as Dominique Broadway and Jeremy Schneider; what was your biggest takeaway?
You’ve also coAuthored in a few books. What made you decide to write books?
ENDING QUESTIONS
Before we end the show, we have one last question we like to ask all our guests. If you had the opportunity to have a Cup of coffee with anybody one last time, who would it be & why?
Watch the full episode on how to treat mental illness by clicking here 👇
TIMESTAMP:
00:00 Introduction 01:58 About the guest 04:05 Difference between an RN and an NP 06:52 Owning a private practice 10:30 Roles and responsibilities of a Psych Nurse Practitioner 12:10 Common mental health problems pre and post-pandemic 15:15 The much-needed change to improve our healthcare system 17:06 How effective are psychiatric medications? 18:51 Medication Side Effects 21:18 Dealing with side effects 23:51 Signs of a Getting Well Patient 26:53 ADHD 29:46 Selfcare routine 32:01 What made you decide to write books? 33:42 Being financial literate 38:57 Life Advices to share 40:44 Wrapping up the episode
There are five personality traits that we all have in common. Even though every one of us is different, ranging from our personality to our physical appearance, psychologists and psychoanalysts have been trying to predict behaviors and thought processes.
Body Types
Look at the friends around you. Do you share any personality traits with them? When you think about it, we are not entirely nonidentical. Even though drastically different from one another, humans do have many similarities. On the physical level, when it comes to body type, the majority, if not all, fit into three main body types:
Endomorph
Mesomorph
Ectomorph
Each body type has its strengths and weaknesses. In the same way, there are general body types. We all share certain personality traits, for example, agreeableness. We are all agreeable but to a certain point. Some might be very agreeable and are ready to say yes, while others are less agreeable and will need some convincing to take your side.
Background on the Top Five Personality Traits
Initially developed in 1949, the big five personality traits is a theory established by D. W. Fiske and later expanded upon by other researchers, including Norman (1967), Smith (1967), Goldberg (1981), and McCrae & Costa (1987).
It’s suggested that as early as the late 19th century, social psychologists were trying to gain a more scientific understanding of personality. However, it wasn’t until the first official study in the 1930s by Gordon Allport and Henry Odbert that personality had some scientific acknowledgment [1].
They took 18,000 words from Webster’s Dictionary to describe personality traits and found adjectives that described non-physical characteristics creating a 4500-word bank of visual behavior markers.
There was a hiatus from the late 1960s to the 1970s; the changing zeitgeist made publishing personality research difficult. In his 1968 book Personality and Assessment, Walter Mischel asserted that personality instruments could not predict behavior with a correlation of more than 0.3.
Social psychologists like Mischel argued that attitudes and behavior were not stable but varied with the situation. Indication of behavior from personality instruments claimed to be impossible.
The Paradigm of the Five Personality Traits
The paradigm shifted back to accepting the five-factor model in the early 1980s. During a 1980 symposium in Honolulu, four prominent researchers, Lewis Goldberg, Naomi Takemoto-Chock, Andrew Comrey, and John M. Digman, reviewed the available personality instruments of the day. This event was followed by widespread acceptance of the five-factor model among personality researchers during the 1980s.
By 1983, experiments had demonstrated that the predictions of personality models correlated better with real-life behavior under stressful, emotional conditions, as opposed to typical survey administration under neutral emotional conditions.
Emerging methodologies increasingly confirmed personality theories during the 1980s. Though generally failing to predict single instances of behavior. Researchers found that they could predict behavior patterns by aggregating large numbers of observations. As a result, correlations between personality and behavior increased substantially, and it was clear that “personality” did exist.
Personality and social psychologists now generally agree that personal and situational variables are needed to account for human behavior.
In 2007, Colin G. DeYoung, Lena C. Quilty, and Jordan B. Peterson concluded that the ten aspects of the Big Five might have distinct biological substrates.
The FFM-associated (five factors model of personality) test was used by Cambridge Analytica and was part of the “psychographic profiling” controversy during the 2016 US presidential election.
The Big Five Personality Traits
Although a person’s personality and behavior are hard to predict, there are specific tools that we can use that can provide insights into it. These tools help us understand others and ourselves better.
The five personality traits are broad, but they will give us a good general understanding of how people behave [2]. So, what are these traits?
1. Openness
Being open means being able to experience a general appreciation for art, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity, emotion, and various experiences. People who are available to new experiences are often intellectually curious, sensitive to beauty, open to feelings, and willing to try new things.
These individuals are known to be creative and aware of their emotions. They are also most likely to have unconventional beliefs. And because they are open to these new things, they are often unpredictable. They also lack the focus they need sometimes and are most likely to engage in behaviors that are against the norms.
The Risk-taker Among Five Personality Traits
Very open people often pursue self-actualization by seeking out euphoric experiences. Conversely, those with low openness seek to gain fulfillment through perseverance and are characterized as pragmatic and data-driven, maybe even close-minded and dogmatic.
*Some disagreement remains about interpreting and contextualizing the openness factor as there is a lack of biological support for this particular trait. Openness has not shown a significant association with any brain regions as opposed to the other four attributes, which did when using brain imaging to detect changes in volume associated with each trait.*
Creativity also plays a big part in the openness trait; this leads to a more significant comfort zone in abstract and lateral thinking.
It includes the ability to “think outside of the box.”
Think of that person who’s always ordering the most exotic things on the menu, going to different places, and having interests you would never have thought of. That is someone who has a high openness trait.
People who are high in this trait tend to be more adventurous and creative. People low in this trait are often more traditional and may struggle with abstract thinking.
High
Very creative
Open to trying new things
Focused on tackling new challenges
Happy to think about abstract concepts
Curious
Imaginative
Unconventional
Low
Dislikes change
Does not enjoy new things
Resists new ideas
Not very imaginative
Dislikes abstract or theoretical concepts
Predictable
Prefer routine
Traditional
2. Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness tends to display self-discipline, act dutifully, and strive for achievement against measures or outside expectations. It is related to how people control, regulate, and direct their impulses.
A person with high conscientiousness is perceived to be stubborn and focused. Those who have high scores on conscientiousness are usually people who do not go without plans. They prefer a reliable method rather than spontaneous behaviors.
The Planner Among Five Personality Traits
The best example of a person with this personality trait is when someone you know likes to plan ahead of time the next time you meet. They also keep in contact and check on your wellbeing. People with this trait often want to organize their dates and events. They are also focused on you when you do meet them in person.
On the other hand, those with low conscientiousness are associated with flexibility and spontaneity but can also appear sloppy and lack reliability.
People low in conscientiousness tend to dislike structure and schedules, procrastinate on essential tasks and fail to complete tasks.
The average level of conscientiousness rises among young adults and then declines among older adults.
High
Spends time preparing
Finishes important tasks right away
Pays attention to detail
Enjoys having a set schedule
Competence
Organized
Dutifulness
Achievement striving
Self-disciplined
Deliberation
Low
Dislikes structure and schedules
Makes messes and doesn’t take care of things
Fails to return things or put them back where they belong
Procrastinates important tasks
Fails to complete necessary or assigned tasks
Incompetent
Disorganized
Careless
Indiscipline
Impulsive
3. Extraversion
Extraversion is a trait that many people will have come across in their own lives. It’s easily identifiable and widely recognizable as “someone who gets energized in the company of others.” The other traits of a person with extraversion include:
Talkativeness
Assertiveness
High levels of emotional expressiveness
All of which made them recognizable in many social interactions or settings. Have you noticed among your family members that there is always someone who is not afraid to express their feelings? They’re often loud and one who laughs the most audible among others. These people are also social butterflies and have the most friends or groups you know.
Extraversion is characterized by breadth of activities (instead of depth), surgency from external activity/situations, and energy creation from the external environment. The trait is marked by pronounced engagement with the outer world.
The Energetic Among Five Personality Traits
Extraverts enjoy interacting with people and are often perceived as full of energy. They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented individuals. They possess high group visibility, like talking and asserting themselves. Extraverted people may appear more dominant in social settings than introverted people in this setting.
On the other hand, introverts have lower social engagement and energy levels than extroverts. They tend to seem quiet, low-key, deliberate, and less involved in the social world. However, do not mistake their social involvement as shyness or depression. They are more independent of their social world than extroverts.
Introverts need less stimulation and more time alone than extroverts. But this does not mean that they are unfriendly or antisocial; instead, they are reserved in social situations. Generally, people are a combination of extraversion and introversion.
High
Enjoys being the center of attention
Likes to start conversations
Enjoys meeting new people
Has a wide social circle of friends and acquaintances
Finds it easy to make new friends
Feels energized when around other people
Say things before thinking about them
Sociable
Excitement-seeking
Outgoing
Low
Prefers solitude
Feels exhausted when having to socialize a lot
Finds it difficult to start conversations
Dislikes making small talk
Carefully thinks things through before speaking
Dislikes being the center of attention
Reflective
4. Agreeableness
Being agreeable or agreeableness refers to how people treat their relationships with others. Compared to extraversion, who like to pursue relationships, agreeable people focus on their interaction and orientation with others.
The agreeableness trait also reflects individual differences in general concern for social harmony. Agreeable individuals value getting along with others. They are generally considerate, kind, generous, trusting and trustworthy, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others. Agreeable people also have an optimistic view of human nature.
Disagreeable individuals place self-interest above getting along with others. They are generally unconcerned with others’ well-being and are less likely to extend themselves to others.
Sometimes their skepticism about others’ motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly, and uncooperative. Low agreeable personalities are often competitive or challenging individuals who can be argumentative or untrustworthy.
Since agreeableness is a social trait, research shows that this positively correlates with the quality of relationships with their team members. Agreeableness also positively predicts transformational leadership skills.
The Strongest Among Five Personality Traits
In a study conducted on 169 participants in leadership positions in various professions. These individuals were asked to take a personality test and have two evaluations completed by directly supervised subordinates. The results showed that leaders with high levels of agreeableness were most likely considered transformational rather than transactional.
Although the relationship was not strong, it was the strongest of the five personality traits. However, the same study showed no predictive power of leadership effectiveness as evaluated by the leader’s direct supervisor.
Conversely, agreeableness is negatively related to transactional leadership in the military. A study of Asian military units showed leaders with high agreeableness are more likely to receive a low rating for transformational leadership skills.
Agreeable people tend to find careers in areas where they can help the most. Charity workers, medicine, mental health, and even those who volunteer in soup kitchens and dedicate time to the third sector (social studies) are high in the agreeableness chart.
High
Has a great deal of interest in other people
Cares about others
Feels empathy and concern for other people
Enjoys helping and contributing to the happiness of other people
Assists others who are in need of help
Trust (forgiving)
Straightforwardness
Altruism (enjoys helping)
Compliance
Modesty
Sympathetic
Low
Takes little interest in others
Doesn’t care about how other people feel
Has little interest in other people’s problems
Insults and belittles others
Manipulates others to get what they want
Skeptical
Demanding
Stubborn
Show-off
Unsympathetic
5. Neuroticism
Neuroticism is characterized by sadness, moodiness, and emotional instability. Often mistaken for anti-social behavior, or worse, a more significant psychological issue, neuroticism is a physical and emotional response to stress and perceived threats in someone’s daily life.
Individuals who exhibit high levels of neuroticism tend to experience mood swings, anxiety, and irritability. Some individuals who share sudden changes in character from a day-to-day perspective could be highly neurotic and respond to high-stress levels in their work and personal lives.
Anxiety, which plays a large part in the makeup of neuroticism, is about an individual’s ability to cope with stress and perceived or actual risk. People who suffer from neuroticism will overthink many situations and find difficulty in relaxing even in their own space.
The Skeptic Among Five Personality Traits
These problems in emotional regulation can diminish the ability of a person scoring high on neuroticism to think, make decisions, and cope effectively with stress. Lacking contentment in one’s life achievements can correlate with high neuroticism scores and increase one’s likelihood of falling into clinical depression.
Individuals with high neuroticism also tend to experience more negative things in life. However, this also changes in response to their positive and negative life experiences.
Of course, those who rank lower on the neurotic level will exhibit a more stable and emotionally resilient attitude to stress and situations. Low neurotic sufferers also rarely feel sad or depressed, taking the time to focus on the present moment and not get involved in mental arithmetic on possible stress-inducing factors.
High
Experiences a lot of stress
Worries about many different things
Gets upset easily
Experiences dramatic shifts in mood
Feels anxious
Struggles to bounce back after stressful events
Angry hostility (irritable)
Self-consciousness (shy)
Vulnerability
Low
Emotionally stable
Deals well with stress
Rarely feels sad or depressed
Don’t worry much
Is very relaxed
Calm
Confident
Resilient
The Five Personalities Traits and Their Influence
From nature and nurture to age and maturation, the big five personality traits have been widely studied where we can see what influences their impact on a person’s behavior and character.
Personality has often been hypothesized as a question of nurture or nature. One particular study looked at 123 identical twins and 127 pairs of fraternal twins. The results suggested that the heritability for each trait is:
53% for extraversion
41% for agreeableness
44% for conscientiousness
41% for neuroticism
61% for openness
It has also been widely recognized that the older we get, the more our behavior traits will change. We become less neurotic, extraverted, and less open to new experiences as we age. However, our agreeableness and conscientiousness grow as we get older.
Five Personality Traits: Men vs women
The consensus is that men and women are more alike than what normative social science would have us believe. But as the title would suggest, there are some exceptions.
Weinsberg and DeYoung 2011 studied the big five traits and, in particular, Gender Differences in Personality across the Ten Aspects of the Big Five. They concluded that women tend to score higher on Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism than men.
Other studies have concluded that while the differences may be present, some traits are not extensively separate. Getting older will tend to align behavior traits such as agreeableness and extraversion, where both genders tend to score lower as time moves on.
To know more about Episode 97, click here 👇:
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro 00:46 Plugs 02:07 Episode Introduction 03:55 Background on the Big Five Personality Traits 10:04 Big Personality Traits: Openness 15:04 Big Personality Traits: Conscientiousness 18:01 Big Personality Traits: Extraversion 21:50 Big Personality Traits: Agreeableness 27:34 Big Personality Traits: Neuroticism 31:18 Big 5 and its Influence 36:19 How the 5 personality traits play role in gender 40:25 Wrapping up the episode
Recent Comments