A conversation with neuroscientist Dr. David Rock on how what exercise does for your brain, the importance of downtime, and how he’s challenging his brain.
Have you ever experienced a great idea in the middle of your workout and couldn’t wait to go write it down? That’s the power exercise has on your brain. Working out is good for your brain health because you’re getting oxygenated blood into the brain, allowing creativity and planning to happen says David Rock, Prof., founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute.
Originally from Australia, Dr. Rock has been in the U.S. since 2010 and lives in New York City. He is author of four books, including the bestseller, Your Brain at Work. Dr. Rock is known for coining the phrase “neuroleadership” which explores the biological foundations of leadership, in particular the “people challenges” in organizations.
Here, Dr. Rock talks about applying brain science at work, how your workout can help you come up with better ideas, and what it means to for him to explore his “edge.
What does the NeuroLeadership Institute do?
Dr. Rock: It’s a cognitive science consultancy that has advised more than 60 percent of Fortune 100 companies over the course of 25 years. My team and I have synthesized thousands of studies into different frameworks. We bring neuroscientists and leadership executives together to learn how to help their team optimize performance and drive innovation. The company’s purpose is to make organizations better for humans through science.
We help teams address “people challenges,” like: “How do you hire the right people? How do you motivate people best? How do you organize people? How do you get people engaged? How do you improve performance? How do you improve creativity?”
We spent years doing a meta analysis of studies that are out there trying to find a signal in the noise that we can then tell thousands of companies what to try in order to transform how they and their teams think, develop and perform.
Are leaders born that way?
Dr. Rock: I think just about everyone has capacity to lead well and it’s a skillset you can grow.
One of the tasks of leadership involves, “being comfortable with uncertainty.” People have varying degrees of comfort, with uncertainty. Some people will find it much easier to deal with that than others. It involves thinking about others more deeply and motivating more effectively.
Is there a link between neuroscience and athletic performance?
Dr. Rock: There's a very strong connection between thinking and moving in the brain. In fact, they use the same network. There's a network in the brain for planning movements called the premotor cortex. As an example, you imagine how you'll pick up a glass. You're planning a movement. That same network is used for planning, you know, a product rollout, or a sales pitch or you know, or how you'll approach a date.
You're imagining the steps involved then visualizing the different components by putting them in the right order.
It’s the same for planning and movement. There’s good research that finds people do their best thinking while they walk. That’s because you're activating this network, you're also putting oxygen and glucose into the brain. Just the increased circulation of oxygen is improving brain function. Keeping the blood flowing and moving through the brain is very good overall for brain function.
The other perspective is that physical activity quiets the brain, especially if it's a repetitive task, like running on a treadmill, biking and even doing strength training.
These things quiet your brain, which helps you have more creative ideas. People have their best insights when they're exercising—and not just about work problems. Exercising helps you be more creative because it's quieting the brain and releasing some of the cortisol. The quieter your brain, the more creative insights are able to come to your attention.
I used to live in Sydney, and when I’d get stuck on something, I’d go surfing. Every single time, I'd be surfing for 30 minutes and suddenly I'd have such a big idea about what to write next, I’d have to get out of the water and go back and write. You can go from stuck to motivated really fast by just recognizing that physical movement shakes it up.
What shouldn’t you do during a workout?
Dr. Rock: Don’t check your work emails while exercising or do work-related tasks throughout your workout. You won’t get the same creative and energetic benefits. It’s really good for your brain to rest.
We created the Healthy Mind Platter after the government came out with MyPlate to help people learn healthy eating tips.
The Healthy Mind Platter consists of seven components you need in a mental diet for optimal brain matter. They are the following:
Physical time: Getting exercise and intense activity is important for a healthy brain.
Downtime: Most of the time we’re very goal focused and the brain needs rest when it isn’t doing that. Inactivity and “intentionally having no intention” can help the brain solve problems.
Play time: It’s about novelty and innovating. Take a fitness class that’s fun and playful and you’ll get cognitive benefits.
Connecting time: It’s good for the brain to socialize with others and have satisfying relationships. Take a group exercise class or run with a friend.
Sleep time: Physical activity helps you sleep and there’s a lot your brain is processing from the day, in particular consolidating your memories.
Time in: Making time for reflection and mindfulness can help with mood, stress, and enhancing emotional regulation.
Focus time: Allowing the brain to truly focus without distractions is good for improving your ability to pay attention.
What's interfering with our abilities to be our best selves?
Dr. Rock: “Fifty years from now, we'll look back and say, “I can't believe we let a generation of people have their brains destroyed by social media.”
The accessibility to technology, particularly for younger people, is a problem. There’s strong evidence that it’s causing increased anxiety and unhappiness beyond just what's normal for every generation. It looks like technology is making us more connected but it’s also making us feel more disconnected in many ways. I think we will have more road rules and speed limits with technology in a few decades and we'll be more conscious of safe levels of technology use.
Equinox encourages members to explore their edge. What does that mean to you?
Dr. Rock: I think to always be growing and learning is its own reward. What makes us happiest at work is feeling like we're constantly improving. You get the highest retention and engagement from that in an organization and what makes you happiest personally is also feeling like you're continuing to grow and learn.
I think “edge” involves challenging yourself to continue to get better, whether it's at a sport, physical activity, hobby, or even your relationship. Continuing to improve and get better is its own reward.
Learning activates neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin, and it’s important to keep learning.
I'm always learning something new. I'm working on a language at the moment, Portuguese. It’s very hard but it’s good to challenge myself.
I'm trying to learn to fly which is terrifying.
I'm just back from Japan and I spent a week trying to understand how to use the subway without getting overwhelmed. That was terrifying.
It’s good to challenge your brain and your body. Continue to stretch your body and stretch your brain and work both of them; then they both get stronger.
That’s what the edge is about. It's about continuing to grow as a person and grow in terms of your health.
Can you talk a little bit about what role does fitness and wellness plays in your life right now:
Dr. Rock: I'm 55 and definitely notice some changes in my body. I’m a big snowboarder, and I'm fit enough to be able to board seven to 10 days straight. I also rock climb in the summer, which is pretty intense. I’m noticing recovery from injuries is a lot slower and more painful.
I do a lot of stretching and run a little bit.
I find both climbing and and snowboarding are fantastic for good thinking.
What are you excited about next?
Dr. Rock: I'm working on scaling my organization. We impacted 3 million people last year, I'm working out how to make that 30 million. It turns out to be really helpful to understand your brain. Addressing, “How do we just teach more people about the brain?” is my challenge at the moment.
Also, learning how to fly which is a harder challenge than it looks. I'm slowly building my skills and making progress.
What else should we know?
Dr. Rock: Learning about your brain is really healthy. It’s similar to practicing mindfulness.
But, you don't have to meditate every day. The more you know about the your brain, the more you can tap in moment to moment in yourself and other people and make better choices.
It focuses your attention and helps you switch attention, which is what mindfulness training does, too. You're paying closer attention and you're switching that attention.
It’s a really helpful skill set to have in life, for your career for your exercise goals for your relationships.