Cultivating the Mind’s Garden

Our brains can have an astonishing, almost magical capacity to grow and change. This flexibility arises, at least in part, from the birth and growth of new neurons—a phenomenon called neurogenesis. Even in old age, neurogenesis continues, and it is a process that has rich implications for our lives. Everything from how we cope with stress, to improving our mood, to how easily we can learn may be profoundly shaped by neurogenesis. But it’s a yin and yang process—the actions we consciously take can either encourage or discourage neurogenesis in the garden of our minds.