You Are Capable of Change. You Just Need Your Brain to Believe It Too

Your brain becomes fossilized with age.

At least, that’s what they say.

In order to be classified as a fossil, a specimen usually has to be over 10,000 years old. When you consider this, comparing aged brains to fossils isn’t exactly a flattering metaphor. Fossils are hard, lifeless remains of what once was a thriving being — and that’s exactly what your brain becomes with time.

But it starts even earlier than that.

When we’re young, we’re led to believe that our traits are set in stone. For instance, a child who does poorly in school thinks of himself as unintelligent. A teenager is told that she cannot work well with others, so she starts believing she is anti-social. A failure or two leads you to give up on an endeavor because you’re just not suited for that type of work.

Once we start falling into certain types of beliefs, our actions and attitudes compound until we become what we believe ourselves to be. At some point, it becomes too painful to bother trying something new.

In 1928, neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal had the following to say on the brain: “In adult centers the nerve paths are something fixed, ended, immutable. Everything may die, nothing may be regenerated. It is for the science of the future to change, if possible, this harsh decree.”

Harsh indeed.

However, in the decades since then, increasing research has shown that the brain is malleable and capable of change. Depending on the environment, the brain is able to reshape itself in response to the changes it’s exposed to.

To see an example of this, let’s take a look at London’s cab drivers.

Becoming a licensed cab driver isn’t an easy feat. But becoming a taxi driver in London? The process will push your brain to its limits.

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