Money is a real thing, but our brains don’t really think its real! There is a lot of scientific research to support the idea that our primitive minds (yep, they are still pretty primitive) have no real concept of success or money for its own sake. Since I have been inundated for half my life with very weird and somewhat confusing New Age ideas about what makes one “successful” and what helps you make money (ways I really don’t agree with morally or ethically) I thought it would be super cool to bring you some science today about money & your brain.
If you are looking for some wisdom to create prosperity or stability or organization, this data can rock your world! (it did mine!)
The article that inspired me to open up this topic to all of you today is from Psychology Today, titled Prime Your Gray Cells: Wiring your brain for happiness and success by Teresa Aubele, Ph.D., and Susan Reynolds. I highly encourage you to read it- its quite an eye opener!
If you are confused about why you can’t get past a certain place in your financial life, you might have no concept of what wealth means to you. You may have no neurological concept of prosperity in a financial sense. You may have fear motivating your choices. All of these ideas have been studied in depth. All can be “unlearned” and that is so liberating. Our brains are amazing!!!
Also, I want to be clear that I am not interested in promoting greed. There’s plenty to go around, and you don’t need to obsess about “having things” at the expense of your life and what matters sincerely (your health, family, relationships, morals, you know, big things you shouldn’t sacrifice to make a buck!). I have never seen big greed end well, anyway.
Now to the fun brain science!
Here’s the straight dope synopsis on Money & Your Brain from the Psychology Today article:
“Before you go charging off, here’s a list of bad news vs. good news to round out what you fundamentally need to know about your brain and money:
The Bad News:
- Your brain has evolved slowly and still reverts to ancient responses, which can unnerve and thwart your best efforts upon occasion.
- Your brain is hard-wired to feel and react quickly and instinctively to fear; reflection comes in third, long after panic has set in.
- Unless challenged, your brain will settle into neuronal ruts.
- Your brain will degenerate: unused synapses will dissipate and no new synapses will form unless challenged.
- Your brain chemistry can create unbalanced behavior.
- Your brain loses certain firepower as you age (but gains new abilities).
The Good News:
- Your brain is at your service.
- Your brain will create new synapses when new activities require them.
- Your brain will bolster and reinforce existing neuronal pathways, as needed.
- Your brain can be rewired, employing atypical regions to perform required tasks.
- You can do things that will improve your brain chemistry; and, if necessary, you can use medication to improve brain function and emotional reactivity.
- Your mind can teach your brain to tamp down fear.
- You can train your brain to focus, learn new skills, and grow.
- You can do things that will help your brain remain supple and healthy.
- Older brains do become wiser brains. It’s never too late to learn new tricks.”
Now, my addition to the prosperity ideas today: if you are looking to do that bit of “habit rewiring” you may want to look into ways to alter your environment to support change. Of course, I bring it all back to feng shui!
xoxo Dana
P.S.: If you’re excited about creating more expanded abundance, The Cash Camp is coming soon and the free 3-video series is packed with energy-opening feng shui magic! They start soon, they’re up for just a few weeks, and you can get ’em right HERE!
I’m so glad I found this site and read about how to improve my life and my family’s. Dana wrote an article about improve Feg Shui in the bedroom and I did not realize how much having a box of old clothes under my bed messed up our sleep and our overall lives. My husband and I sleep much better now without all that clutter and best of all, we feel so much better because we gave it all away!:) Thank you!
Wow that makes me sooooo happy to hear! I’m so excited for you! And thank you kindly for sharing your success; you’ve made my day! xoxo Dana
Dana if you like this, you may enjoy Dr. Daniel Amen’s work on keeping a youthful brain. Primarily its through nutrition. But he takes before and after pet scans and can show brain improvement.
omg you just reminded me that i never bought his book… thank you! I’ve read super-impressive facts from him… really amazing stuff!