Top 10 Neuroscience-Backed Tips for a Stronger Brain | Wendy Suzuki and Amishi Jha
4/15/20261 hr 1 min
Plus: maximizing the benefits of sleep, exercise, and meditation.
To celebrate the show's 10th anniversary, we're producing episodes that share top 10 lists of practices, strategies and more from our favorite experts. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has listened and supported the show over the years. None of this would be possible without you.
Amishi Jha, PhD is the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience and a Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami. She is also the author of the bestselling book Peak Mind and the creator of the app Pushups for the Mind.
Wendy Suzuki, PhD is the Dean of New York University College of Arts & Science and a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University. She is the author of the books Healthy Brain, Happy Life and Good Anxiety.
In this episode:
- What neuroplasticity is, and why your brain is not fixed
- How exercise changes your brain, including mood, memory, and attention
- Reframing the burden of optimization
- The minimum effective dose for meditation to improve attention
- Why sleep is essential for memory, brain cleanup, and long-term brain health
- The myth of multitasking
- How anxiety can be used as a tool instead of just something to avoid
- How your daily habits are shaping the brain you'll have tomorrow
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDan Harris· Host0:00
[upbeat music] This is the Ten Percent Happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. [upbeat music] Hello, everybody. How we doing? Today we are talking about the top 10 neuroscience-backed tips for a healthy brain. For this episode, we have recruited two powerhouse neuroscientists, both of them friends of the pod. Just to say from the jump here, we're gonna go through the best ways to maintain your brain, but my guests are very sensitive to the fact that you're a busy person, so they will recommend strategies that you can actually do, that you can actually weave into your daily life. In other words, we will talk about things like sleep, exercise, and meditation and how they change your brain, but we will also talk about the minimum effective dose. My guests are Doctors Amishi Jha and Wendy Suzuki. Amishi Jha is, uh, director of Contemplative Neuroscience and a professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She's also the author of a bestselling book called Peak Mind, and she's the creator of an app called Pushups for Your Mind. Wendy Suzuki is the dean of NYU's College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of neuroscience and psychology, and she's the author of Healthy Brain, Happy Life, and another book with the provocative title, Good Anxiety. I should say, the reason