The Truth About Brains and Beauty
If you could have either a flatter stomach or a healthier brain, which would it be? Many of us, admittedly, might pick the stomach -- but the truth is, the key to beauty just may be inside your head.
"We spend so much time focused on all these external things, like belly fat and our hair, but your brain is really the source of your beauty," says Dr. Marie Pasinski, neurologist and co-author of Beautiful Brain, Beautiful You.
So how do we harness our brain power for the ultimate self-makeover? Let's take a look.
For a Beautiful Face…
Even if your makeup job is flawless, what everyone really notices are your microfacial expressions. They're the subtle, nonverbal cues in your face -- especially around your eyes -- that reflect your true thoughts, and they're completely involuntary. "Your face reflects the electrochemical activity taking place in your brain. So what you're thinking about comes through in your eyes," says Pasinski.
What's more, experts have discovered that people can unconsciously read these tiny facial movements. If your face reflects positive thoughts, they see you as more attractive.
Think about how you can tell the difference between a real smile and a fake one -- a real smile includes the eyes, right? Or, how do you know when someone's really enthused about something? Their eyes light up!
What to Do: Transform the way you look by thinking "good" thoughts. And if you have a hard time recognizing what you're thinking, then start by paying closer attention to your feelings. "Usually it's the thought that's first," says Pasinski. "So, it can be helpful, if you're feeling down or angry, to step back and think, 'What kind of thoughts have been running through my mind?' Once you start becoming aware of negative thoughts, you can learn to stop them in their tracks, and learn to replace them with positive ones."
For a Slimmer Body…
How many times have you quit a workout before you started seeing results? Your resistance to exercise might be creating its own neural pathway in your brain -- and that's not good news.
Whenever we do something, the neurons in our brain make connections called pathways. When we repeat the action, the pathway gets stronger, making it easier for us to perform the action the next time. So when you repeatedly decide not to exercise, you're actually teaching your brain to resist it for good!
What to Do: Start doing whatever you DON'T feel like doing. This could include anything, from making your bed first thing in the morning, to giving up your seat on the train for a week. Think of it as "mental pushups" -- every time you overcome your resistance to something, the more inspired and energetic you will feel. Soon, you'll be able to push through your resistance to exercise as well. "As you practice self discipline, you are reinforcing mental pathways that can assist you in other areas of your life," says Pasinski.
For a More Youthful Mind…
Looking your age is one thing. But if it's getting harder to remember people's names, or you've eaten the same lunch for a year, then watch out -- you might seem confused and set in your ways!
To keep your brain sharp, you want to increase its neuroplasticity -- that's the brain's ability to build new connections between its neurons. Doing the same activities over and over is like making your brain run constantly on the same track (remember those old pathways?) and it loses the chance to renew itself.
What to Do: Pick up a new hobby. But be careful, because it's tempting to pick something too close to your comfort zone. "Many times, we say to ourselves, 'I'm not good at anything artistic,' or whatever, so we just kind of stay in our niche area where we know we're good … But people who [don't] do that age well," says Pasinski. So, one good way to find a hobby is to pick one that's the opposite of your 9-to-5 job. If your field is what they call "left-brained" (requiring analysis and logic) then try something creative, like drawing. But if you're already in a creative field, then try a logical pursuit like learning a new language. Either way, you'll do something truly out of your wheelhouse that challenges your brain to grow.
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