Buddha’s Brain: The neuroscience of happiness

Just coming across the title of this book (full title: ‘Buddha’s Brain: The practical neuroscience of happiness, love & wisdom’) co-authored by neuropsychologist and meditation teacher Rick Hanson and neurologist Richard Mendius was enough to spark my interest. Even though I am an atheist, Buddha has fascinated me since I was eight years old and first visited Thailand. As a psychiatrist, I am interested in spirituality and the mind, as well as neuroscience and the brain, or perhaps I am a psychiatrist because of these interests. And then there’s happiness, a topic that interests me on a both personal and professional level, a topic that I’ve been reading and writing a lot on lately.

Despite its title, this book is not about religion, Buddha or Buddhism. Or about mindfulness or meditation either (even though these eastern practices feature on the book). It is, however, about neuroscience and how experiences can shape one’s brain, and contribute to one’s happiness. It is also a book full of wisdom.

‘Much as your body is built from the foods you eat, your mind is built from the experiences you have. The flow of experience gradually sculpts your brain, thus shaping your mind.’

Our experiences can be positive, neutral or negative. The authors pay attention to the positive ones and advise the reader on how to foster them. First, we have to notice positive facts and turn them into positive experiences. Second, we have to savor these positive experiences. Third, we have to sense them sinking in.

Positivity, gratitude, mindfulness, meditation and brain plasticity

I absolutely agree. A large number of published studies not only confirm the strong association between practices, such as positive thinking, gratitude, mindfulness and meditation, on the one hand, and wellbeing on the other, but they also explain the reason for this. Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, refers to the ability of the brain to change (both its structure and its function) throughout one’s life. This is commonly called rewiring and involves creating and strengthening brain pathways. Neuroscience research shows that positive thinking exercises, including reflection and gratitude journals, are effective ways to improve one’s mental wellbeing for this very reason; they contribute to the rewiring of the brain. The same is true of mindfulness and meditation.

A few months ago, I published my ‘collection’ of beautiful moments and pleasurable activities. My starting point for that list was ‘pleasure’, as ‘pleasurable activities’ is one of the 10 key areas of our daily lives where we can do something that will improve our wellbeing, and contribute to a happier and healthier life (you can read about the other 9 key areas here and here). Constructing such lists can help us create a more positive mindset; it can also help us focus on the positive aspects of our everyday lives, rather than dwell on our shortcomings. Furthermore, the pleasure derived from such activities is not experienced only as long as the activity lasts, but can stay with us for longer. I now realise that I had essentially embodied Buddha’s Brain’s tips: notice, savor and let sink in.

Psychotherapy and the brain

What I particularly liked about ‘Buddha’s Brain’ was the fact that the authors pay considerable attention to the early life/childhood experiences, and how these (positive or negative) experiences affect one’s attachment style (attachment theory, a psychological model attempting to describe the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, states that a strong attachment to at least one primary caregiver is critical to personal development) and the way they feel, think, behave and relate later in (adult) life. These are all largely unconscious processes, which makes it challenging to change them. Even though they don’t explicitly mention it, this is the essence of traditional psychotherapies (psychodynamic/psychoanalytic).

Nevertheless, they link these processes to mindfulness and meditation, something that I found very interesting. They explain that mindfulness and meditation activate parts of the brain, increasing the coordination between the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system (they have previously meticulously explained the function of these regions of the brain), and this is how these practices help towards forming a more secure attachment. So, in other words, traditional psychotherapies (on the one hand) and mindfulness and meditation (on the other hand) are two different routes towards the same destination (unlike CBT which is focused on the here-and-now and does not take into account unconscious processes or attachment theory).

Practical neuroscience

Hanson and Mendius go further than just explaining the neurobiological/neurochemical basis for positivity, gratitude, kindness, mindfulness, and meditation. Even though ‘Buddha’s Brain’ is not your average self-help book, there are some practical tips to improve your mental wellbeing (i.e. breathing and relaxation exercises). All the while, there is a biological explanation of how and why these tips work.

There is also ‘Nutritional Neurochemistry’, an appendix by Jan Hanson, which complements the book’s holistic approach to wellbeing, and emphasises the important of nutrition for one’s mental health. However, the emphasis appears to be shifted towards nutritional supplements, rather than a healthy balanced diet.

Overall, ‘Buddha’s Brain’ is an interesting, as well as enjoyable, book to read, as it sheds light on the workings of the brain, whilst focusing on what an individual can do to reduce their suffering and improve their wellbeing. With the exception of the last chapter (‘Relaxing the Self’, a chapter about the self, not relaxation), it is clear and easy to read, and I would highly recommend it.

‘The self is a collection of real representations of an unreal being – like a story about a unicorn.’

Further reading on happiness

To read more about happiness, check out the following posts of mine, where I view books about happiness:

Let Me Tell You a Story: Tales along the road to happiness

9 Secrets to Happiness from the Cultures of the World

Sweden: Behind the myth of the lagom utopia

Counting my blessings: End-of-year reflection

Further reading on the brain

‘Buddha’s Brain’ reminded me of The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness

Like ‘Buddha’s Brain’, this book by Prof Steve Peters, Consultant Psychiatrist (who is also the Resident Psychiatrist for the Sky Pro Cycling Team and Consultant Psychiatrist for Liverpool FC), explains how the brain and mind works, but also provides suggestions on how to better manage your mental world.

Further reading on meditation and wellbeing

To learn more about meditation as well as my views on Buddhism and religion, check out my post Religion, maps & meditation.

And, of course, don’t forget my seminal wellbeing posts:

10 tips for better mental health & wellbeing (part 1)

10 tips for better mental health & wellbeing (part 2)

Beyond traveling: Collecting beautiful moments of pleasure

Last but not least, check out my post on nutrition:

Better nutrition better health better wellbeing.

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank the authors of ‘Buddha’s Brain’ for sending me a copy of the book for read and review.

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Alex

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)