The Greater Good Science Center
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The Greater Good Science CenterResources for a compassionate and resilient societyn Online Magazine: Find award-winning articles,parenting & education blogs, videos, podcasts,and more at greatergood.berkeley.edun Events: “The Science of A Meaningful Life”n Science: Research fellowships, Gratituden Education Program: Summer Institute & moren Books: Born To Be Good, Compassionate Instinct2
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Hardwiring Happiness:The New Brain Science ofLasting Inner Strength and PeaceGreater Good Science CenterUC Berkeley, November 16, 2013Rick Hanson, Ph.D.The Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdomwww.WiseBrain.orgwww.RickHanson.net4
Topicsn Self-directed neuroplasticityn “Taking in the good” (TG)n The evolving brainn Healing old pain5
Self-Directed Neuroplasticity6
!![People] ought to know that !from nothing else but the brain !come joys, delights, laughter and sports, !and sorrows, griefs, despondency, and lamentations.!!!Hippocrates7
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Mental activity entailsunderlying neural activity.9
Repeated mental activity entailsrepeated neural activity.Repeated neural activitybuilds neural structure.10
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Lazar, et al. 2005.Meditationexperience isassociatedwith increasedcortical thickness.Neuroreport, 16,1893-1897.12
The OpportunityWe can use the mindTo change the brainTo change the mind for the betterTo benefit ourselves and other beings.13
The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life.I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy;I mean that if you are happy you will be good.Bertrand Russell14
Growing Inner Strengths15
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Inner Strengths Includen Virtues (e.g., patience, energy, generosity, restraint)n Executive functions (e.g., meta-cognition)n Attitudes (e.g., optimism, openness, confidence)n Capabilities (e.g., mindfulness, emotionalintelligence, resilience)n Positive emotions (e.g., gratitude, self-compassion)n Approach orientation (e.g., curiosity, exploration)17
Inner Strengths Are Built From Brain Structure18
Learning and Memoryn The sculpting of the brain by experience is memory:n n Explicit - Personal recollections; semantic memoryImplicit - Procedural memory; bodily states; emotionaltendencies; “views” (expectations, object relations,perspectives); behavioral repertoire and inclinations; what itfeels like to be “me”n Implicit memory is larger than explicit memory. Innerstrengths are embedded mainly in implicit memory.n Thus the key question: How can we embed innerstrengths in implicit memory?19
The Machinery of MemoryChange in neural structure and function - i.e., learning,memory - is essentially a two-stage process: fromactivation to installation.Information - including our experiences - is held in shortterm memory buffers and then transferred to andgradually consolidated in long-term storageActivated mental states foster installed neural traits.20
Activation/Installation CyclesStates are temporary, traits are enduring.States foster traits, and traits foster statesActivated states -- Installed traits -- Reactivatedstates -- Reinforced traitsNegative states -- Negative traits -- Reactivatednegative states -- Reinforced negative traitsPositive states -- Positive traits -- Reactivatedpositive states -- Reinforced positive traits21
Negative Experiences In Contextn Negative about negative -- more negativen Some inner strengths come only from negativeexperiences, e.g., knowing you’ll do the hard thing.n But negative experiences have inherent costs, indiscomfort and stress.n Could an inner strength have been developed withoutthe costs of negative experiences?n Many negative experiences are pain with no gain.22
The Causes of Inner StrengthsHow do we build the neural traits of inner strengths?Traits are developed by installing experiences of thetrait and related factors. Positive traits - innerstrengths - come from positive states.We develop mindfulness by repeatedly being mindful;we develop compassion by repeatedly feelingcompassionate; etc.The brain is like a VCR or DVR, not an iPod: we mustplay the song to record it - we must experience thestrength to install it in the brain.23
Cultivation in Contextn Three ways to engage the mind:n Be with it. Decrease negative. Increase positive.n The garden: Observe. Pull weeds. Plant flowers.n Let be. Let go. Let in.n Mindfulness present in all three ways to engage mindn While “being with” is primary, it’s often isolated inmindfulness-based practices.n Skillful means for decreasing the negative andincreasing the positive have developed over 2500years. Why not use them?24
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The Evolving Brain26
Biological Evolutionn 4 billion years of earthn 3.5 billion years of lifen 650 million years of multi-celled organismsn 600 million years of nervous systemn 200 million years of mammalsn 60 million years of primatesn 6 million years ago: ancestor with chimpanzeesn 2.5 million years of tool-makingn 150,000 years of homo sapiens27
Evolution of the Brain28
Three Motivational andSelf-Regulatory Systemsn Avoid Harms:n n Predators, natural hazards, aggression, painPrimary need, tends to trump all othersn Approach Rewards:n n Food, shelter, mating, pleasureMammals: rich emotions and sustained pursuitn Attach to Others:n n Bonding, language, empathy, cooperation, loveTaps older Avoiding and Approaching networks29Each system can draw on the other two for its ends.
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The Homeostatic Home BaseWhen not disturbed by threat, loss, or rejection [no feltdeficit of safety, satisfaction, and connection]The body defaults to a sustainable equilibrium ofrefueling, repairing, and pleasant abiding.The mind defaults to a sustainable equilibrium of:n Peace (the Avoiding system)n Contentment (the Approaching system)n Love (the Attaching system)This is the brain in its homeostatic Responsive,minimal craving mode.31
The Responsive Mode32
The Responsive ength, safety,peaceApproachSufficiency,abundance,Aspire, give,let goGlad, grateful,fulfilled, satisfiedOpen to others;join; be empathic,compassionate,kind, caring; loveMembership,closeness, friendship, bondingloved and loving 33disenchantmentAttachConnection,belonging,social supplies
Coming Home, Staying HomePositive experiences of core needs met - thefelt sense of safety, satisfaction, andconnection - activate Responsive mode.Activated Responsive states can becomeinstalled Responsive traits. Responsivetraits foster Responsive states.Responsive states and traits enable us tostay Responsive with challenges.34
But to Cope with Urgent Needs,We Leave Home . . .When disturbed by threat, loss, or rejection [felt deficit ofsafety, satisfaction, or connection]:The body fires up into the stress response; outputsexceed inputs; long-term building is deferred.The mind fires up into:n Hatred (the Avoiding system)n Greed (the Approaching system)n Heartache (the Attaching system)This is the brain in allostatic, Reactive, craving mode. 35
The Reactive Mode36
The Reactive ModeViewActionExperienceAvoidHarms presentor lurkingFight, flight,freezeFear, anger,weaknessApproachScarcity, loss,unreliability, notexpected rewardsGrasp, acquireGreed, being “beta,”Cling,devaluedreproachLoneliness, heartseek approval,break,envy,jealousy, shame37
Reactive Dysfunctions in Each Systemn Avoiding - Anxiety disorders; PTSD; panic, terror;rage; violencen Approaching - Addiction; over-drinking, -eating, -gambling; compulsion; hoarding; driving for goalsat great costn Attaching - Borderline, narcissistic, antisocial PD;symbiosis; “looking for love in all the wrong places”38
Choices . . .Or?Reactive ModeResponsive Mode39
The Negativity Bias40
The Brain’s Negativity Biasn As our ancestors evolved, avoiding “sticks” wasmore important for survival than getting “carrots.”n Negative stimuli:n More attention and processingn Greater motivational focus: loss aversionn Preferential encoding in implicit memory:n n n n We learn faster from pain than pleasure.Negative interactions: more impactful than positiveEasy to create learned helplessness, hard to undoRapid sensitization to negative through cortisol41
Velcro for Bad, Teflon for Good42
A Major Result of the Negativity Bias:Threat Reactivityn Two mistakes:n n Thinking there is a tiger in the bushes when there isn’t one.Thinking there is no tiger in the bushes when there is one.n We evolved to make the first mistake a hundred timesto avoid making the second mistake even once.n This evolutionary tendency is intensified bytemperament, personal history, culture, and politics.n Threat reactivity affects individuals, couples, families,organizations, nations, and the world as a whole.43
A BottleneckFor Growing Inner StrengthsUnfortunately, the brain is inefficient at turning positiveexperiences into neural structure.This design feature of the brain creates a kind ofbottleneck that reduces the conversion of positivemental states to positive neural traits.Most positive experiences are wasted on the brain.This is the fundamental weakness in psychotherapy,mindfulness training, character education, humanresources training, and informal efforts at growth.44
The Negativity Bias45
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We can deliberately use the mind !!to change the brain for the better.47
Taking in the Good48
Just having positive experiences is not enough. !!They pass through the brain like water through asieve, while negative experiences are caught.!!We need to engage positive experiences actively toweave them into the brain.49
HEAL by Taking in the Good1. Have a positive experience. Notice it or create it.2. Enrich the experience through duration, intensity,multimodality, novelty, personal relevance3. Absorb the experience by intending and sensing thatit is sinking into you as you sink into it.4. Link positive and negative material. [optional]50
Let’s Try Itn Notice the experience already present in awarenessthat you are alright right nown n n Have the experienceEnrich itAbsorb itn Create the experience of compassionn Have the experience - bring to mind someone you careabout . . . Feel caring . . . Wish that he or she notsuffer . . . Open to compassionn Enrich itn Absorb it51
It’s Good to Take in the Goodn Development of specific inner strengthsn General - resilience, positive mood, feeling lovedn “Antidote experiences” - healing old wounds, filling thehole in the heartn Implicit benefits:n Shows that there is still good in the worldn Being active rather than passiven Treating yourself kindly, like you mattern Rights an unfair imbalance, given the negativity biasn Training of attention and executive functions52n Sensitizes brain to positive: like Velcro for good
!!Keep a green bough in your heart,!and a singing bird will come.!!Lao Tsu53
Targets of TGn Thoughts - expectations; object relations;perspectives on self, world, past and futuren Perceptions - sensations; relaxation; vitalityn Emotions - both feelings and moodn Desires - values, aspirations, passions, wantsn Behaviors - reportoire; inclinations54
Some Types of Resource ExperiencesAvoiding Harmsn Feeling basically alright right nown Feeling protected, strong, safe, at peacen The sense that awareness itself is untroubledApproaching Rewardsn Feeling basically full, the enoughness in this moment as it isn Feeling pleasured, glad, grateful, satisfiedn Therapeutic, spiritual, or existential realizationsAttaching to Othersn Feeling basically connectedn Feeling included, seen, liked, appreciated, lovedn Feeling compassionate, kind, generous, loving55
Pet the Lizard56
Feed the Mouse57
Hug the Monkey58
Resources for Taking in the Goodn Intention; willing to feel goodn Identified target experiencen Openness to the experience; embodimentn Mindfulness of the steps of TG to sustain themn Working through obstructions59
The Four Ways to Offer a Methodn Doing it implicitlyn Teaching it and then leaving it up to the personn Doing it explicitly with the personn Asking the person to do it on his or her own60
Synergies of TG and Mindfulnessn Improved mindfulness enhances TG.n TG increases general resources for mindfulness (e.g., heightenthe bodily calming that supports stable attention).n TG increases specific factors of mindfulness (e.g., self-acceptance, self-compassion, tolerance of negative affect)n TG heightens internalization of key mindfulness experiences:n The sense of stable mindfulness itselfn Confidence that awareness itself is not in pain, upset, etc.n Presence of supportive others (e.g., meditation groups)n Peacefulness of realizing that experiences come and go61
TG and Childrenn All kids benefit from TG.n Particular benefits for mistreated, anxious, spirited/ADHD, or LD children.n Adaptations:n n n BriefConcreteNatural occasions (e.g., bedtimes)62
Obstructions to Taking in the Goodn Generaln Distractibilityn Blocks to self-awareness in generaln Specificn Fears of losing one’s edge or lowering one’s guardn Sense of disloyalty to others (e.g., survivor guilt)n Culture (e.g., selfish, vain, sinful)n Gender stylen Associations to painful statesn Secondary gains in feeling badn Not wanting to let someone off the hookn Thoughts that TG is craving that leads to suffering63
Healing Old Pain64
Using Memory Mechanisms to Help Heal Painful Experiencesn The machinery of memory:n When explicit or implicit memory is re-activated, it is re-built from schematicelements, not retrieved in toto.n When attention moves on, elements of the memory get re-consolidated.n The open processes of memory activation and consolidation create awindow of opportunity for shaping your internal world.n Activated memory tends to associate with other things in awareness(e.g., thoughts, sensations), esp. if they are prominent and lasting.n When memory goes back into storage, it takes associations with it.n You can imbue implict and explicit memory with positive associations.65
The Fourth Step of TGn When you are having a positive experience:n Sense the current positive experience sinking down into old pain,and soothing and replacing it.n When you are having a negative experience:n Bring to mind a positive experience that is its antidote.n In both cases, have the positive experience be big and strong, inthe forefront of awareness, while the negative experience issmall and in the background.n You are not resisting negative experiences or getting attachedto positive ones. You are being kind to yourself and cultivatingpositive resources in your mind.66
Psychological AntidotesAvoiding Harmsn Strength, efficacy -- Weakness, helplessness, pessimismn Safety, security -- Alarm, anxietyn Compassion for oneself and others -- Resentment, angerApproaching Rewardsn Satisfaction, fulfillment -- Frustration, disappointmentn Gladness, gratitude -- Sadness, discontentment, “blues”Attaching to Othersn Attunement, inclusion -- Not seen, rejected, left outn Recognition, acknowledgement -- Inadequacy, shamen Friendship, love -- Abandonment, feeling unloved or unlovable67
The Tip of the Rootn For the fourth step of TIG, try to get at the youngest,most vulnerable layer of painful material.n The “tip of the root” is commonly in childhood. Ingeneral, the brain is most responsive to negativeexperiences in early childhood.n Prerequisitesn n n Understanding the need to get at younger layersCompassion and support for the inner childCapacity to “presence” young material without flooding68
TG and Trauman General considerations:n n n n People vary in their resources and their traumas.Often the major action is with “failed protectors.”Cautions for awareness of internal states, including positiveRespect “yellow lights” and the client’s pace.n The first three steps of TG are generally safe. Use them to buildresources for tackling the trauma directly.n As indicated, use the fourth step of TG to address the peripheralfeatures and themes of the trauma.n Then, with care, use the fourth step to get at the heart of the trauma.First of all, do no harm.69
The Fruit as the Path70
Cultivation Undoes Cravingn All life has goals. The brain continually seeks to avoid harms,approach rewards, and attach to others - even that of a sage.n It is wholesome to wish for the happiness, welfare, andawakening of all beings - including the one with your nametag.n We rest the mind upon positive states so that the brain maygradually take their shape. This disentangles us from craving aswe increasingly rest in a peace, happiness, and love that isindependent of external conditions.n With time, even the practice of cultivation falls away - like a raftthat is no longer needed once we reach the farther shore.71
The Goal as the MethodPeaceContentmentLove72
Think not lightly of good, saying, !"It will not come to me.”!!Drop by drop is the water pot filled.!!Likewise, the wise one, !gathering it little by little, !fills oneself with good.!!Dhammapada 9.12273
Great BooksSee www.RickHanson.net for other great books.n n n n n n n n n n n n Austin, J. 2009. Selfless Insight. MIT Press.Begley. S. 2007. Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain. Ballantine.Carter, C. 2010. Raising Happiness. Ballantine.Hanson, R. (with R. Mendius). 2009. Buddha’s Brain: The PracticalNeuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom. New Harbinger.Johnson, S. 2005. Mind Wide Open. Scribner.Keltner, D. 2009. Born to Be Good. Norton.Kornfield, J. 2009. The Wise Heart. Bantam.LeDoux, J. 2003. Synaptic Self. Penguin.Linden, D. 2008. The Accidental Mind. Belknap.Sapolsky, R. 2004. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. Holt.Siegel, D. 2007. The Mindful Brain. Norton.Thompson, E. 2007. Mind in Life. Belknap.74
Key Papers - 1See www.RickHanson.net for other scientific papers.n Atmanspacher, H. & Graben, P. 2007. Contextual emergence of mental statesfrom neurodynamics. Chaos & Complexity Letters, 2:151-168.n Baumeister, R., Bratlavsky, E., Finkenauer, C. & Vohs, K. 2001. Bad is strongerthan good. Review of General Psychology, 5:323-370.n Braver, T. & Cohen, J. 2000. On the control of control: The role of dopamine inregulating prefrontal function and working memory; in Control of CognitiveProcesses: Attention and Performance XVIII. Monsel, S. & Driver, J. (eds.). MITPress.n Carter, O.L., Callistemon, C., Ungerer, Y., Liu, G.B., & Pettigrew, J.D. 2005.Meditation skills of Buddhist monks yield clues to brain's regulation of attention.Current Biology. 15:412-413.75
Key Papers - 2n Davidson, R.J. 2004. Well-being and affective style: neural substrates andbiobehavioural correlates. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.359:1395-1411.n Farb, N.A.S., Segal, Z.V., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D., Fatima, Z., andAnderson, A.K. 2007. Attending to the present: Mindfulness meditation revealsdistinct neural modes of self-reflection. SCAN, 2, 313-322.n Gillihan, S.J. & Farah, M.J. 2005. Is self special? A critical review of evidencefrom experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. PsychologicalBulletin, 131:76-97.n Hagmann, P., Cammoun, L., Gigandet, X., Meuli, R., Honey, C.J., Wedeen, V.J.,& Sporns, O. 2008. Mapping the structural core of human cerebral cortex. PLoSBiology. 6:1479-1493.n Hanson, R. 2008. Seven facts about the brain that incline the mind to joy. InMeasuring the immeasurable: The scientific case for spirituality. Sounds True.76
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Rick Hanson, Ph.D. The Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom www.WiseBrain.org www.RickHanson
May 02, 2018 · D. Program Evaluation ͟The organization has provided a description of the framework for how each program will be evaluated. The framework should include all the elements below: ͟The evaluation methods are cost-effective for the organization ͟Quantitative and qualitative data is being collected (at Basics tier, data collection must have begun)
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Chính Văn.- Còn đức Thế tôn thì tuệ giác cực kỳ trong sạch 8: hiện hành bất nhị 9, đạt đến vô tướng 10, đứng vào chỗ đứng của các đức Thế tôn 11, thể hiện tính bình đẳng của các Ngài, đến chỗ không còn chướng ngại 12, giáo pháp không thể khuynh đảo, tâm thức không bị cản trở, cái được
Le genou de Lucy. Odile Jacob. 1999. Coppens Y. Pré-textes. L’homme préhistorique en morceaux. Eds Odile Jacob. 2011. Costentin J., Delaveau P. Café, thé, chocolat, les bons effets sur le cerveau et pour le corps. Editions Odile Jacob. 2010. Crawford M., Marsh D. The driving force : food in human evolution and the future.
Le genou de Lucy. Odile Jacob. 1999. Coppens Y. Pré-textes. L’homme préhistorique en morceaux. Eds Odile Jacob. 2011. Costentin J., Delaveau P. Café, thé, chocolat, les bons effets sur le cerveau et pour le corps. Editions Odile Jacob. 2010. 3 Crawford M., Marsh D. The driving force : food in human evolution and the future.
