Neuroplasticity: How Moving to a New City or Country Can Rewire Your Brain for the Better
Exploring Adaptability, Creativity, and Resilience When Moving Abroad
Introduction
Have you ever moved to another country, perhaps more than once? Over time, did you find yourself losing touch with close friends back home? And upon visiting, did you feel a pang of sadness realising how much you've grown apart? Or were you surprised to suddenly have a better understanding with other people that you were not close with before?
Like many others, I've moved across different countries over the past few decades and felt the same way. I began to wonder, what changed? Was it me, or was it the people around me? It took some time, but I've figured it out.
I’m eager to share my insights and hope they might be helpful to someone who is having similar experiences. I also want to encourage you to take the challenge and move to a different city or country, if you get a chance. It will help you to keep growing and become a better version of yourself. Leaving our comfort zone is a great idea at any stage of life but especially after the age of 25, and there is a good reason for it.
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Neuroplasticity: A Brain Boost for Adults
Neuroplasticity is the remarkable ability of our brain to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. As kids grow and learn, their brains change a lot. This is when neuroplasticity is at its peak because they're learning new things every day, like how to speak, read, and understand the world around them.
It has long been believed that we lose this ability after the age of 25, but researchers have discovered that our brain can keep evolving and changing even later in life, if stimulated in the right way. Later in life, neuroplasticity can be triggered by several key activities and experiences, including: learning new skills, travel, problem solving, changing a routine etc.
Neuroplasticity enhances the brain's functionality by forming new neural connections, much like hardware upgrades improve a computer's performance. It is a complex process that involves not just the formation of new connections but also the strengthening of existing pathways, the pruning of unused connections, and even the potential for generating new neurons in certain brain regions.
This process is driven by our experiences, learning, and activities. Just as a software update can add new features or improve the functionality of a device, neuroplasticity allows the brain to adapt to new information, recover from injuries, and optimise its operations in response to changing demands. Our brain is continuously reshaping itself — this capability is at the heart of our ability to learn, remember, and adapt to new situations.
Here is what Andrew Huberman, Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology, says about neuroplasticity and learning after the age of 25:
Moving to another country can significantly trigger neuroplasticity due to a variety of unique and stimulating experiences. Here are some key triggers associated with relocating internationally: learning a new language, adapting to a new culture, building a new social network, emotional challenges, learning about daily life, laws, rules etc.
The Power of New Places
When you move somewhere new, everything changes. The streets, the language, the food, and how people act—it’s all different. It's not just about being in a new place; your mind has to adjust too. Suddenly, you have to figure out lots of new things. This is your brain’s way of adapting. Think of it like your brain getting a workout. It’s saying, “Let’s sort this out and get stronger from it.”
All of this helps our brain to grow stronger, become more flexible in solving problems, and better at understanding others. It's like giving your brain a workout that makes it healthier and more active. So, moving to a new place can actually make you smarter, more creative, and emotionally stronger, showing it's never too late to benefit from new experiences.
Learning and Getting Used To Things
Can you remember your very first day in that brand-new city? The confusion of trying to figure out how to get to work, or how to order a coffee in a new language? Each of those moments, as challenging as they were, acted like a brain workout. Neuroplasticity is all about how our brains can change and grow. It suggests that with every new word you manage to understand or every new street you successfully remember, your brain is actually building new pathways. It's similar to how muscles get stronger and more flexible with physical exercise, but this is happening inside your brain.
These experiences, while sometimes frustrating, were incredibly valuable. They were opportunities for your brain to adapt, to stretch and strengthen its capabilities. Each mistake made and then corrected, every confusing moment that eventually led to clarity, contributed to your brain's overall strength and agility. Through these everyday challenges, your brain was not just adapting to new circumstances; it was evolving, preparing you to tackle future challenges with greater ease and confidence.
Boosting Creativity and Solving Problems
Going to new places can really light up your creativity, and it's not just something you feel—it's actually how your brain works. When you're somewhere new, your brain starts to make new connections. This is because it's trying to figure out all the new stuff around you. When your brain gets used to this, it begins to think in new ways it never did before.
It's like you're not just thinking differently; you're living in a whole new way of thinking. This new way of seeing things doesn't just help you solve problems better; it also makes you more creative. Artists, writers and creative people find that being in new places gives them a lot of inspiration. This happens because seeing different cultures, landscapes, and ways of life gives your imagination a lot more to work with. So, stepping out of your comfort zone not only makes your brain sharper but also increases your creative skills.
Growing Stronger Inside
Moving to a new place isn't just about physical changes; it's a big emotional adventure too. Feeling homesick, dealing with the shock of a new culture, and the frustration when things don't make sense can hit really hard. But as you start figuring things out, something amazing happens in your brain. It learns and adjusts, making you tougher and more able to bounce back from tough times. You start to grow emotional strengths you didn't even know you had.
This toughness is really about becoming more flexible with your feelings. When you're feeling lonely, annoyed, or scared, and you start to work through these feelings, you're not just learning about where you are now. You're also learning a lot about yourself. You find strengths you never knew you had, learn to be okay with feeling vulnerable, and get really good at understanding how other people feel.
So, the next time life throws something tricky at you, whether it's because you've moved or just something else tough happening, you're ready for it. The emotional skills you've picked up help you see things from a balanced point of view. You can handle changes more smoothly and find your way through problems with a calm and clear head.
Social Skills and Empathy
Starting over in a new place means you have to make new friends from scratch. This pushes you to talk to and get along with people who might be very different from you. Every time you meet someone new or try to fit in, you're learning how to understand and connect with others better. This doesn't just help you make more friends; it also makes your brain better at adapting to new situations, through neuroplasticity.
These experiences also make you better at putting yourself in someone else's shoes. As you meet people from different backgrounds and hear their stories, you learn to be more patient and open. It's like your brain is going through its own kind of workout, but instead of building muscle, it's building kindness, patience, and the ability to understand others.
The more you talk and listen to people who are not like you, the more you see what everyone has in common. This helps you feel like you belong, no matter where you are.
Wrapping It Up
It's not just about where you move; it's about how that move changes you. It is shared experiences and similar challenges that bring us together, or the lack thereof that drives us apart. When we move to a new city or country, something special happens. Over time, we start to form close connections with people who are going through the same things as us. Sharing experiences and facing similar challenges together can create strong bonds that feel like family.
But, there's another side to this journey. We might find ourselves drifting away from friends who chose to stay behind. They might not understand the changes we're going through or the new perspectives we've gained. It's not that anyone is at fault; it's just that life paths diverge, and growth sometimes means moving in different directions. This journey teaches us the value of embracing change and the deep connections it can bring, while also learning to let go when paths part.
So, embrace the change, because with each challenge comes an opportunity to make your brain more adaptable, creative, and resilient. Through the lens of neuroplasticity, every new experience is an opportunity for growth. With each day, as you learn and grow, you're becoming a better version of yourself. And that's truly a wonderful journey to be on.
Feel free to share your stories and comments on this subject! Looking forward hearing from you!