Teresa Aubele, who has a PhD in
neuroscience from Stony Brook, is a
researcher on hormonal influence on
brain circuitry and function at Florida
State for the National Institutes of Neurological Disorder and Stroke. You know,
she’s real science-y. She wrote Train Your
Brain to Get Happy, based on evidence
of how your brain naturally works to
keep you happy and in a good mood.
She has proven that optimism produces
chemicals in the brain that trigger the
growth of more circuits and enhance
memory. Aubele says there is strong evidence that a good positive attitude stimulates the growth of nerve endings and
connections, improves cognition and
mental productivity, enhances your ability to analyze, affects your view of your
surroundings, increases attentiveness
and, yes, creates more happy thoughts.
So, Clay Anderson and other astronauts
are not just keeping their bodies in shape
exercising in space. They are improving
their brains!
And, Aubele has proved the oppo-
site is also true. Being negative and
thinking negative thoughts affects your
ability to perceive, interact, remember
and reinforce your thinking. Remember
what Anderson said was the effect of a
day without pumping up? “I felt unful-
filled and lethargic.”
Happy thoughts promote brain
growth. Unhappy thoughts inhibit
brain growth.
NSA speaker Avish Parashar takes his
own version of connecting brain function and performance to his audiences.
Parashar uses improvisational humor,
called improv. An insightful activity
involves volunteers taking their turn at
what is normally a form of comedy.
Start with a premise telling a story.
When signaled, the first participant
stops immediately and the next contin-
ues, leading off with the phrase,
“Yes, and . . . ”
The big insight comes when he asks
participants to do the same exercise,
but instead of beginning each section
with “Yes, and” instead use “No, but.”
The collaborative effort quickly grinds
to a halt.
Humor: No Laughing Matter
Humor does not just enhance improv
or bring insight. It is a key to staying
productive because of its effects on
your energy. For example, there was
the time Clay Anderson began a live
downlink from the ISS to Mission Control wearing his shorts on his head.
“Humor is critical! From wearing
boxer shorts on my head to challenging
the ground to daily trivia, to my
‘famous cities from Nebraska,’ to flying
Tootsie Pops toward the video camera
(and baseballs on occasion), to wearing
a vampire cape on Halloween, I pushed
the limits to try and maintain my sanity,
sense of humor and to help the ground
keep theirs. I imitated voices when talk-
ing to the ground. Halloween was a
blast with Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre and
Frankenstein!”
Researchers such as Theresa Aubele
have shown that just saying the word
“yes” elicits different brain chemistry
than the word no. Avish and other
improv artists have shown how impor-
tant that can be.
Feel Good About Feeling Good
So, how can we put this science to use
in our speaking businesses? We can say
science is behind the idea that “feel
good” is not just about feelings. We can
say with certainty that working to
achieve a positive workforce attitude
can pay off in better results for our
clients. If you don’t believe me, check
with Harvard, Stony Brook or the
National Institutes of Health.
I want to wrap all this up in the
experience of my remarkable friends
who fly spaceships and walked on the
moon. As Chris Kraft said, they did
what they knew worked and then
pushed it another step. They assumed,
believed and then achieved success.
As Tony Robbins might say, they
stayed committed to their decisions, but
remained flexible in their approach.
When President Kennedy said, “We
choose to go to the moon …” those
who knew what was involved said to
themselves, “I think he’s nuts!”
But, motivated by his words and
vision, they all shared a dream of
exploration and excellence to beat the
Soviets and just going higher, faster and
farther than anyone had ever done. We
know what happened.
“One small step for a man, one giant
leap for mankind.”
It is critical for you to know—and
your audiences to learn—that thinking
changes your brain, and that changing
your brain changes you.
As I used to say when I was anchor-
ing TV news, “This just in . . . ”
It is all in your head! But it need not
stay there. Explore your belief in your-
self. Explore what you believe and what
you want out of your life. Find your
excellence and believe in it. Share it. The
excellence you discover will take you to
the places of which you’ve only dreamed.
And, I say that with enthusiasm.
John Getter is an Emmy-
winning broadcaster and
author of three books about
space exploration. After
decades covering the space
program, he was a senior executive at
an aerospace company supporting the
space shuttle and MIR space station while
developing the first media facilities for the
International Space Station. Getter helps
organizations to work more efficiently and
effectively to accomplish the impossible
every day.
