Some scientists have referred to the brain as the hardware of the soul. So what happens when the hardware is not functioning at an optimal level? If the hardware is compromised, then any software we try to add will have little to no effect. If we hope to experience joy in our lives, we must learn how the brain works. It turns out that the decisions we make can impact the brain, which means we have some measure of control over how much joy we experience in life. This Is Your Brain On Joy shows us how the brain functions, and gives suggestions for how our capacity for joy can be enhanced.  

Science has become sophisticated enough to allow us a picture of what a brain on joy looks like. Among the most interesting investigations of the brain in a relaxed state were scans of Tibetan monks and Franciscan nuns. Researchers found that the brain activity of monks and nuns during meditation followed similar patterns. The portions of the brain that lit up most noticeably were the front, specifically the areas active when someone is experiencing joy. The lower back portions of the brain that govern fear and automatic flight-or-fight reactions (called the reptilian brain) were inactive.

The only difference was that the regions of the brain that control verbal communication were ablaze in the nuns’ brains, as they engaged in centering or contemplative prayer. These were prayers in which they communicated with God. In contrast, Buddhist meditation emphasizes mind emptying, thus leaving the brain’s verbal portions dormant.

The nuns’ and monks’ brain scans show us brains in states of relaxed joy. It seems that time set aside to meditate and pray has a way of inculcating a sense of peace, joy, and wholeness. What is more, researchers found that this inner peace tended to linger throughout the day as the monks and nuns went about their daily routines and duties.

Research consistently demonstrates the power of prayer as having such healing effects on both pray-er and prayed-for, to calm and restore proper brain and body chemistry, that doctors and researchers are recommending prayer as part of the recovery process for their patients. It seems that prayer and meditation are the spiritual apple-a-day that keeps the doctor away.

By remarkable and humorous coincidence, the pattern of a joyful brain’s activity resembles a smiley face. The limbic system is active but not over-stimulated, showing up as a small dot in the middle of the brain (the “nose”). This is also the case for the basal ganglia, which gently lights up in two places above the limbic system (the “eyes”), indicating that the person has no significant fears. And the portion of the brain that is most amply illuminated in a roughly crescent formation is the cerebellum (the “smile”). The cerebellum governs automatic motor skills; illumination in this region is normal and healthy.

A pained brain is a different story. Instead of a healthy level of activity in predictable regions, the portions of the brain associated with sadness and fear light up like a fireworks show. Thankfully, there are ways that anyone can train the savage beast that wreaks havoc on brain and relationships.

Neuroplasticity is one of the most important recent discoveries in the field of neuroscience. In the past, scientists assumed that, at a certain point in an adult’s life, the brain stops developing new neural connections. More recent evidence has shown this to be completely false. The brain is developing new neural pathways throughout a person’s life; so old dogs can learn new tricks just like young pups.

Another myth is that once the brain is damaged, it can never be repaired. Game over for those portions of the brain that have been bashed in during a car accident or eaten away by drugs. Science has found that the brain is actually capable of repairing itself, and choice is a vital ingredient in the repair process. Your brain will grow as you learn a new skill or habit. Think of Winston Churchill, who mastered the art of painting after a career as a skilled politician and military strategist. Choosing to learn something new is one of the greatest joys in life, and the brain loves a challenge.

We’ve all seen the side-by-side comparisons of a brain on drugs and a brain that is drug-free. What is more remarkable is that the brain on drugs and the healthy brain can belong to the same person. There are amazing images of brains ravaged by meth, full of pockmarks and abnormal grooves. The same brain after a year of sobriety is totally different—with the grooves significantly smoothed out, and the contours of the brain mostly restored to their natural state.

Studies are revealing that certain activities consistently build the brain and increase our capacity for happiness. New neural growth is stimulated in three ways: changes in environment, changes in inner life, and changes in what you put into your body. 

Let’s begin with the outer world. In a long series of experiments on rats, scientists observed that rats addicted to morphine would continually press the lever that released more of it until they passed out, only to wake up and press the lever again. They all died of exhaustion or starvation. The prevailing assumption for a while was that humans would do the same if they had unfettered access to addictive substances.

Researcher Bruce Alexander, however, found the conclusion unconvincing. He figured that he would do the same if he were an isolated rat in a cage with nothing to do. To test the conclusion’s validity, he designed an elaborate rat theme park of sorts, complete with wheels, toys, mazes, fresh water, good food, and other rat friends. Half of the rats he had addicted to morphine for eight weeks. The other half were happy and free from any addiction. Bruce found that when he introduced morphine-laced water into the park with the rats that weren’t addicted, they would try it once or twice, but after discovering what it was would not return to it. Even more amazing was what happened when the junkie rats were introduced to the rat park. As they observed their fellow rat pals enjoying themselves, running mazes, and making rat love to their hearts’ content, they stopped running to the morphine drip, even as they shook and shivered from withdrawal. They went through a detox even when the drug was readily available to them.

What does this tell us? It suggests that there is a natural high that comes from enjoying good things in the company of others. So how, then, can we make our environments conducive to the natural, God-intended highs?

One vital piece is community—a true, authentic connection with other people, where we know others and others know and accept us. It’s not coincidence that the regions of the world where family units are close-knit and intergenerational report the highest rates of happiness.

Studies have shown that smell is the fastest sense to register with the brain. There are scents that are proven to reduce stress, and researchers are proclaiming the real benefits of aromatherapy. So consider buying an essential oil diffuser or soy candle, which can have a calming or focusing effect on the people who walk in the fragranced room. Music also has a settling, calming effect. Music therapists have shown that music can guide people out of a depressed state. Humor is another helpful element. A funny movie or comedy skit or videos of cats scared of cucumbers can help. A cheerful heart is good medicine, as the Hebrew adage goes. Exercise is another change of pace that can be therapeutic. Research demonstrates that consistent exercise for even a month has similar effects to Zoloft without the harmful side effects of increased blood pressure and low libido. In fact, exercise tends to reduce blood pressure and increase libido.

It is important to make your environment more optimal for joy, but it is also imperative to invest in your inner world. One suggestion would be to read books. Good books. Books in a variety of genres. Reading, in particular, and learning new things, in general, have been shown to aid in the prevention of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Intentionally stopping yourself when you find yourself dwelling on negative thoughts is also vital. Dr. Amen advises his patients to beware of becoming overrun with ANTs, or Automatic Negative Thoughts. These ANTs have a way of hijacking joyful experiences. It’s important to capture negative thoughts as they arise, and replace them with thoughts that are more realistic and positive. When we take a step back from our feelings, we can view them more objectively and trace the paths of pain that the ANTs tend to follow. This enables us to get to the source of the pain, instead of reacting to pain’s symptoms. With practice, this exercise in thought replacement will become more reflexive, and you will find yourself extending the benefit of the doubt to others and yourself.

As mentioned earlier, prayer has been shown to contribute to joy and well-being. Praying for the wholeness and joy of others lights up the left prefrontal cortex of the person praying—the joy region. Visual prayer is another option: picturing a scene of beauty as you pray for yourself or another person has a way of bringing serenity to the soul.

Your brain is primarily comprised of fat. The low-fat and no-fat diets that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s were disasters—obesity rates soared, as did depression. People were eating less fat and more sugar and it was ruining them. We need good healthy fats in moderate helpings. Butter and coconut oil are good options. By contrast, corn and vegetable oils are to be avoided.

America’s cleanest diet was that of good old-fashioned farming communities: lean protein, milk, vegetables, whole grains, and fruits on occasion. This was America’s most brain-friendly diet, and we’d be happier people if we got back to this.

Organic eating can be expensive, but it is advisable to eat organic when possible. Many grocery stores have crossed over, which has driven prices of organic produce down. The more toxins you keep out of your system, the more vibrant you will feel.

Watch the sugars. The faster sweeteners are absorbed into your bloodstream, the more power they have to disrupt the blood-brain balance. Avoid table sugar and artificial sweeteners. Far and away the worst sugar is high fructose corn syrup. Avoid like the plague any product that uses corn syrup as a sweetening agent. Consider agave or maple syrup as alternatives to give a little extra sweetness.

Try to get four cups of fruits and vegetables a day. Arrange a rainbow on your plate—a variety of color in your produce is more likely to give you a wide range of vital nutrients. Probiotics are also vital because they lead to a healthier gut, decreased inflammation, increased immunity, and better mood.

What you put into your body matters a great deal.  Nutritionists report that those who pair healthy eating with proper exercise tend to experience sustained improved moods in just a month’s time.

Paul, of biblical fame, was a zealous persecutor of Christians before a radical confrontation with Jesus catalyzed his conversion to the faith movement he’d been trying to destroy. From that moment on, life was one of sharing the message of the resurrected Jesus throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. This was an arduous task. His life was in jeopardy on a regular basis. There were betrayals, floggings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, bounties on his head, riotous angry mobs, and stonings. In the midst of the tumult, Paul maintained that settled, laid-back joy that we all long for. What was his secret?

He tells us in a letter that he wrote to a new church in Philippi, a town in present-day Turkey. In fact, he actually uses the language of “secret” to describe joy. He writes, “I have discovered the secret of being content” (Philippians 4:12). Apparently, joy was a mystery in the ancient world just as it is in our own. Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians toward the end of his life during his Roman imprisonment. It is arguably his most mature treatise on spirituality, and its contents are being corroborated by recent findings in neuroscience. So what does Paul have to teach us?

One lesson is that we must change the way that we think about our troubles. Paul writes to the Philippians that his chains have been a blessing in ways he did not expect, like being able to share the love of God with his captors. What are your chains? Your chains are whatever you make your happiness dependent upon. Paul refused to let his joy be determined by his circumstances.

Another secret that helped Paul encounter joy instead of anger was his response to people who caused trouble for him and slandered him. He could have let their words and criticisms affect him, but he had learned to let falsehoods roll off his back, especially from people who hated him and his faith. He chose to limit their power over him. At a neurological level, a person’s conscious choice to counter a negative thought and replace it with a truer, more joyful one activates the brain’s Presidential Control Center (the prefrontal cortex). When this happens, the rest of the body follows the lead biochemically. The brain tells the gut to produce serotonin, which slows adrenal production, decreases heart rate, and ups dopamine. The choice will leave you feeling more joyful as the brain responds to the mind’s decision.

Yet another secret to Paul’s joy was letting go of what was past and focusing on what is ahead. A victim is someone convinced that his past matters more than the present or the future. He’s stuck. Paul did horrendous things to Christians before he became one himself. He could have let guilt and shame overshadow his sense of hope, but trusting that he had been forgiven, he looked ahead, not behind.

Paul also has advice about anxiety. He exhorts his friends, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7-8).  Paul doesn’t simply tell people to stop worrying. That rarely alleviates anyone’s fears. He adds prayer to the equation, which has recently proven to have remarkably calming effects. He also adds thankfulness to the remedy. Gratitude is the cornerstone of joy. Scientists have found that when people are giving thanks to God and seeking to bless others, the neural pathways leading to fear and anxiety are actually blocked.

These are just several of the secrets of joy that Paul imparts to his friends. Whether he realized it or not, Paul’s teachings were aligned with the way our brains are wired.