Neuro Exploration: Delving Deeper into Self-Awareness
Day Fifteen: Reflect on your values
When you reflect on your core values, your brain engages in fascinating processes.
Self-Affirmation: Reflecting on core values activates brain regions associated with self-processing and reward. The medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex light up, along with the ventral striatum and ventral medial prefrontal cortex. These areas play a crucial role in maintaining a positive self-view.
Reward Pathways: Affirmations often focus on positive value sources. This engages neural mechanisms related to reward and positive valuation. Essentially, it’s like giving your brain a boost of self-worth and resilience.
Future Orientation: Interestingly, this neural activity is reinforced when you think about future-oriented core values. It’s as if your brain aligns your present actions with your envisioned self, promoting positive behaviour change.
So, reflecting on values isn’t just a mental exercise—it’s a brain-boosting practice!
Exercise
List your core values. Align your actions with them.
Question
Am I aware of my cognitive biases? Reflect on mental shortcuts and their effects.
Living with integrity means... behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values.