Synopsis
about the “Change You Brain Everyday” Blog
Opposite to women, men tend to have less activity in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. This makes men on average more risky and spontaneous than women. It also means that men are more likely to put themselves in stupid situations that will cause head injury. The brilliance to this is it will further decrease prefrontal cortex activity making them more likely to sustain further head injuries. Talk about a negative feedback loop! The good news for us guys is we tend to produce more serotonin. Serotonin is commonly referred to as “the happy hormone.” Understanding that our brains our different allows us to view challenges in our relationships through a different lens.
Exercise: Identify something about the way you think that is different from your spouse or a friend of the opposite gender
Physically I am a risk taker and an under planner. Typically this runs opposite to most women I know.
I’m kinda stupid. Stupid or stubborn or both. I tend to take risks when it comes to injuring myself. I play sports and have all my life. I’ve never sustained a significant injury but I know one could be right around the corner. Having this mindset you’d think would make me more cautious. In some ways I take precautions and in other ways I throw caution to the wind. I stretch. Mandatory 15 minutes before I do anything explosive.
What I don’t do is wear a lot of protective gear. I got moderate to severe sprains in both of my ankles within the last two years. The type that most people would leave on crutches and elevate and ice for the rest of the day. What did coach Brian do? Well after spraining his ankle before 8 am on two separate occasions he went and worked a full 8 hour shift on his feet. But it was OK because he wore basketball shoes for support.
He then returned to the basketball court before they were fully healed and hasn’t once wore an ankle brace.
I’m also a chronic under planner and under packer. I like the structure of a framework but lots of flexibility within the framework. For example if I’m going to San Diego all I need to know is how many days I’ll be gone and what time the flight leaves. I won’t check the weather, cram everything I need into a carry-on, and figure everything else out on the way.
Author – Coach Brian