The term “brain-friendly” ranges from being clear to confusing.

If you’re confused, you can feel threatened, which is the exact opposite of a brain-friendly state of mind.

So here’s my stab at clearing up the confusion about the term brain-friendly.

This post answers these three questions in three incredibly short summary chapters:

1. What is the definition of brain-friendly?
2. Why is it important?
3. What are some effective brain-friendly actions that are easy to adopt?

Chapter 1: What is brain-friendly?

As background, you’re not conscious of it, but five times every second your brain is deciding if it senses a threat or reward.

Threats have a bigger impact on your brain than rewards. Threat is faster acting, stronger and longer lasting than reward.

When you feel threatened—perceived or actual—threat takes over your attention. It becomes very hard to refocus your brain and think clearly. You won’t suffer from “cauliflower brain” but you won’t do yourself or your brain any favors.

By contrast, if you sense rewards, you’re in a totally different frame of mind.

You’re in a brain-friendly state, which allows you to think and perform at a higher level. This is especially valuable for knowledge workers who need to use their brains on the job.

When you experience a brain-friendly environment with gratifying language, actions and situations, you’ll more than likely go into a positive – or at least neutral – state, which will help you think clearly and perform better.

That’s because a brain-friendly environment helps you reduce your cognitive load, which frees up your relatively small amount of working memory so you’ll have more mental space in your prefrontal cortex (your executive brain) to think about other things.

In this state, your brain also operates more efficiently. It doesn’t demand as much oxygen and glucose to operate as is does when it’s under stress.

If you’re a cynic (or feeling threatened at this moment for whatever), you could consider a brain-friendly environment and associated actions manipulative. That’s up to you.

For others, especially myself, we welcome a brain-friendly environment. It’s the difference between being stuck in a 5-mile traffic jam on a hot summer day in a car with broken air-conditioning versus strolling on a scenic outdoor path smelling fields of lavender and feeling a cool summer breeze. Which do you prefer?

Chapter 2: Why is a brain-friendly environment important?

When you work in a brain-friendly environment, you feel positive, optimistic and safe.

You open up to new ideas and possibilities. You’re more supportive of yourself and others, and willing to collaborate more. You’re also more creative and insightful.

Contrast that to an environment that feels threatening. You become pessimistic, inclined to think the worst of the situation and others. You forget important things, and you’re often at a loss to see multiple options or come up with workable ideas. Your decision-making ability declines, and you become more risk-averse.

On the plus side, your motor functions improve, which can help you physically flee or fight. However, for knowledge workers sitting in a cubicle, fighting or fleeing is hardly the best course of action.

For individuals who need to use their brain not their brawn, a brain-friendly environment is more advantageous for thinking more clearly and innovatively, making better decisions, and then executing on them. You can experience health benefits too, both immediate and long-term.

Chapter 3: What simple, brain-friendly actions can you take for yourself and others?

First, recognize that traditional office environments and working habits, especially marathon meetings, are awful for our brain. Our brain is an organ, not a machine, and can’t be operated the same way we treat other office equipment, such as computers, devices, and photocopiers.

Second, start caring for your brain by adopting these five brain-friendly actions:  

1. Chunk information into small bits, such as short chapters like these, for you and others. Succinct specific details are easier to remember and recall than long-winded glittering generalities.

2. Take frequent breaks so your prefrontal cortex can recharge. Your prefrontal cortex tires easily, often just after 20 minutes of deep concentration. When it’s tired, it’s hard to control your emotions and behavior. To rejuvenate your prefrontal cortex, stand, stretch or walk for a few minutes, preferably outdoors where you can breathe fresh air.

3. When you’re thinking about a hard problem, spend more time in the shower or shower-like conditions. Even better, don’t think about the problem. You’ll be able to tap into your unconsciousness, which does about 90 percent of your brain’s processing. Your brain can make new connections for you and as a result, you’ll break the impasse in the way you think. For more about this, read How to make your office as productive as your shower.
   

4. Identify successes of any size and recognize yourself and others for achieving them. Recognition and celebrations provide your brain with a “feel good” dopamine hit. That encourages you to repeat the behavior and the brain to rewire itself. That helps you change your behavior faster and build good habits to boot.

5. Avoid social pain, either inflicted on you or others. Based on a number of studies, the brain responds intensely to social situations, especially feelings of social inclusion and exclusion. When you feel excluded or socially out of sorts, your brain reacts to the social pain by activating similar circuits as if you were experiencing physical pain. You feel threatened. (See the blog post What’s your tolerance for pain at work? for more on this topic.)

You can embrace many more brain-friendly actions; however, these five are good basics to jumpstart treating your brain with more respect.

As scientists learn more about the brain – our last frontier – we’re discovering more ways to optimize its potential. You can take advantage of maximizing your brain by being more brain-friendly.