Try This Neuroscience-Based Technique to Shift Your Mindset From Negative to Positive (in 30 Seconds)

Three words: Notice, Shift, Rewire. This simple strategy puts into into practice the core insight coming out of the neuroscience revolution of the last 30 years: the insight that, in the words of early neuroscientist Donald Hebb, “neurons that fire together, wire together.” It’s the insight that reminds us the brain isn’t fixed. Its habits aren’t like plaster. They’re more like plastic, strong enough to resist the occasional push but pliable enough to change in response to repeated effort.

That’s the magic of Notice-Shift-Rewire. By taking a moment each day to bring our attention to this practice, we build the habit of shifting out of the “negativity bias” to more useful mind states: remembering our past wins, celebrating our strengths, and seeing life as a series of opportunities rather than a relentless slog through setbacks and heartbreak.