I consider myself an optimist, though I know this is not a binary, and some days I don't feel as optimistic as others. My hunch is that there are lots of fellow optimists in this room. People who raise their hand and say I’m willing to be involved; I want to put my effort into working together with others toward something greater than myself… that sounds like optimism and hope to me.
I have 3 pieces of good news for all of you… even those of you who aren’t so sure you feel like an optimist on this particular day. This news comes from some intensive reading and listening I’ve been doing about the amazing things being discovered in the science of neurobiology--how our brains work—how does the biology of the brain work?
Having worked in higher ed all these years, I’ve become fascinated with this area of study. Why do we feel the way we do? Why are we each impacted differently by the encounters we have with others? How do we develop greater and greater wells of motivation and tenacity to do the things that will ultimately bring us greater joy and increase our ability to achieve the goals we set for ourselves and for our work?
First- that activity we just did, interacting with people we don’t know, meeting strangers and sharing a bit about ourselves—actually gives us a happiness boost. I’ve been reading books like Jessica Pan’s, (perhaps one of the best book titles ever!) Sorry I’m late, I didn’t want to come: One Introvert’s Year of Saying Yes. Though she had long considered herself an introvert, Pan tried living like a gregarious extrovert for one year—and wrote about it—it is a great read!
In fact, research is showing that social connection is rewarding even for those of us who identify as introverts or who fear social interactions. Nick Eply, a behavioral psychologist at the University of Chicago who curates the podcast Why Talking to Strangers Will Make You Happier conducted a study that gave riders on mass transit incentives to interact with people they did not know. Though all of the participants predicted they would hate talking to strangers, and in some cases were morbidly afraid to do so, every participant got a happiness boost from the interaction.
I think it is also important to mention that Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has designated loneliness as a public health emergency. Studies have shown that loneliness poses the same risk to our well-being and longevity as does smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Loneliness may actually be killing us. So by being engaged today, you’re not only boosting your happiness, you’re also doing something that is good for your health and longevity!
Second-and this comes from the Huberman Lab podcast-- Andrew Huberman is a neurobiologist at Stanford, also a former professional skateboarder. In a recent podcast, Huberman interviewed Paul Conti, a graduate of Stanford Med School and fellow brain researcher, and talked with him about the Anterior Mid-cingulate Cortex section of the brain. According to Conti, the neural basis for willpower and tenacity resides here. Conti also has found that this part of the brain is bigger, and has more White Matter Tracts, in people who engage in doing hard things. In Conti’s research, he follows people who are doing things like increasing their physical exercise or choosing to eat broccoli instead of cookies.
Why does this matter? Well, the really amazing finding is that we can actually grow this part of the brain and increase the number of White Matter Tracts in our brain the MORE HARD THINGS THAT WE DO. And therefore, we can increase our willpower and tenacity for the next go-round when making those hard choices will serve us well.
This leads me to the final bit of good news, and I didn’t need to listen to a neurobiologist or a happiness researcher to know this, and that is…Not everything in the world is going great right now. There’s lots of stuff that’s broken and needs optimistic, courageous leaders who are looking for hard things to do. That’s why I’ve been hanging around higher ed for the last 30 years of my life. Every day I come to work and have an interaction with a student that reminds me that there is hope.
Sometimes it’s showing up in my role as advisor to a student meeting at 8am, only to find that those students have so much commitment to this work that I’m the last person there. They are all there, on time, making quorum… at 8am! Sometimes its listening in to honest, difficult conversations where students are willing to hear things they disagree with and remaining open to the idea that they might change their minds. Sometimes it’s feeling the positive energy in the rooms like this one- -where despite what can feel like an overwhelming set of odds, you all are reaching out, connecting with one another, and committing to a year of doing hard things in order to make PSU better for others and to make the world beyond Portland State University a better place.
So to recap: One--Doing icebreakers is not only boosting your happiness, but also saving your life—even if you think of yourself as an introvert and really didn’t even want to be here today. Two--Doing hard things, like eating broccoli instead of cookies, showing up to a meeting at 8am, is increasing your Anterior Mid-cingulate Cortex and increasing your willpower and tenacity, strengthening your ability to do other important, hard things. And finally (and I recognize this is sort of a good news/bad news kinda thing) there’s lots of broken stuff right now. And there are lots of opportunities to do hard things... right here at Portland State University and in the broader world.
Thank you again for all that you’ve already done in order to be in this room today Thank you for the commitment you have made to our year ahead. I can’t wait to be there with you and to see the amazing, transformative ways PSU will change and all of our Anterior Mid-cingulate Cortexes will change as we do hard things together!