English → Arabic transcript

Um, most people don't know this, but there's a brain structure called the anterior midcingulate cortex. As we pointed out before, that's a noun, it's a name, it doesn't mean anything. We could call it the... the cookie monster. -Right. But

what's interesting about this brain area is there are now a lot of data... -Mmhmm. ...in humans... ...not some mouse study... showing that when people do something they don't want to do... -Mmhmm. ...like add three hours of

exercise per day or per week... ...or when people who are trying to diet and lose weight resist eating something. -Right. When people do anything that they... and this is the important part... that they don't want to do. -Right. It's not

about adding more work, it's about adding more work that you don't want to do. -Yes. This brain area gets bigger. -Yep. Now here's what's especially interesting about this brain area to me. And by the way, I'm only learning this recently

because it's new data... -Mmhmm. ...but there's a lot of it. The anterior midcingulate cortex is smaller in obese people. -Mmhmm. It gets bigger when they diet. -Mmhmm. It's larger in athletes. -Mmhmm. It's especially large or grows

larger in people that see themselves as challenged and overcome some challenge. -Right. And in people that live a very long time... -Mmhmm. ...this area keeps its size. -Mmhmm. In many ways, scientists are starting to think of the

anterior midcingulate cortex not just as one of the seats of willpower... -Right. ...but perhaps actually the seat of the will to live. See, now we're talking. And when I learned about the anterior midcingulate cortex, I was like...

almost out of my seat. And I've been in the neuroscience game since I was 20. We're the same age. And I was so pumped 'cause I've heard of the amygdala, fear, prefrontal cortex, it's planning and action. I could tell you every

brain area and every... I teach neuroanatomy to medical students. But... when I started seeing the data on the anterior midcingulate cortex... I was like, whoa. This is interesting. -Yep. And all the data point to the fact that we can

build this area up. -Yep. But that as quickly as we build it up, if we don't continue to invest in things that are hard for us... ...that we don't want to do... That's the part that feels so Gogginesque to me... -Yes, sir. ...that we

don't want to do. Like if you love the ice bath, yeah, I love the ice bath, and you go from one minute to ten minutes... -Mmhmm. ...guess what? Your anterior midcingulate cortex did not grow. -None. But if you hate the cold water... if

you're afraid of drowning... -Mmhmm. ...and you get into water and put your head under... -Yep. ...then your anterior mid... and survive... then the anterior midcingulate cortex gets bigger.