Can you Train Your Brain to Happiness?

Brain training is growing in popularity. Software such as the Dr Kawashima for the Nintendo DS have been a huge hit around the world. Often selling to people who would of never of thought of buying a games console. In Japan, Nintendos and Brain Training software have become popular gifts for grandparents. There is now online braining training so that you can give your brain a good work out while sitting at your desk. But does this work and can you brain train to happiness?

Happiness depends upon ourselves. - Aristotle

What is Brain Training?

Going to school is brain training, learning to drive a car is brain train, finding your way around a new city is brain training. Brain training is simply learning. However the difference between everyday learning and brain training is focus. In physical fitness training you can do general, all over exercises like jogging or swimming or you can target specific muscles using dumb-bells and weight machines. The brain works in exactly the same way. Reading a good book is a general work-out for the brain but doing a crossword puzzle targets specific skills.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. - Gandhi

What is Happiness?

This is a bigger question than many people think. We have all been happy and we all want to be happy but what is it? Firstly it is not a destination. You cannot do something and be guaranteed happiness for the rest of your life. If you get married you may think that now you’ve found a life partner you will be happy but will you be happy if your partner gets sick? No, or course not. Happiness is something that happens when things are going well. When you work is satisfying and your family is healthy. Happiness also comes from anticipation about the future. Your job may be very rewarding but if you knew you were going to do exactly the same job for thirty years would it still be rewarding? Knowing that what you do today will make life better in the future is a vital part of happiness.

Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have, it depends solely upon what you think. - Dale Carnegie

How Learning Makes You Happy

Humans like to learn. When we learn the brain releases powerful chemicals that bring pleasure as a reward. This is why scientists generally love their work because they are learning all the time. However at schools and colleges, children are not learning, they are being taught. The school is trying to force information into the brains of the children. Its like being force-fed the finest food in the world. It may be the best food created by the greatest chefs but if someone is holding you down and shoving it down your throat, you won’t enjoy it very much. So learning, when done by choice, can make you happy.

The chemical release that brings happiness from learning is short-term, a matter of minutes usually. Longer-term happiness comes from what learning enables you to do. The more you know the more you can achieve. You can get a better job that earns you more allowing you to move to a nicer area and take the family on holiday.

Learning, Brain Training and Happiness

Software like Dr Kawashima Brain Training focuses on specific skills such as short-term memory, quick calculations and rapid processing of information. These skills are the building blocks to learning. The better your short-term memory is, the more information you can absorb. Being able to think quickly and clearly means that you don’t get swamped when it gets busy. If you are swamped you become stressed and research has shown that stress prevents you from learning.

Brain Training will make you happy when you do it because each day you will learn something. Your brain will reward you for that learning with its powerful mix of chemicals. But more importantly, over the weeks and months of training you will become happier as your improved memory and processing skills will make life easier. Allowing you to spend more time on the things you enjoy. Ultimately you will find happiness because you have a goal, a dream of a better you, that you are striving to achieve.

Chris Tregenza writes about brain and body training on Myomancy. Focusing on educational problems such as dyslexia and ADHD he writes on how games such Wii Fit and Wii Drum can train the brain and body for better academic success.