{"id":595226,"date":"2026-04-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bigthink.com\/?post_type=ftm_video&p=595226"},"modified":"2026-04-28T13:49:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T17:49:29","slug":"the-most-transformative-brain-activity","status":"publish","type":"ftm_video","link":"https:\/\/bigthink.com\/perception-box\/the-most-transformative-brain-activity\/","title":{"rendered":"The most transformative thing you can do for your brain isn\u2019t mental"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Neuroscientists Wendy Suzuki, PhD, Samuel Wang, PhD, and Gary Small, MD explain how movement increases blood flow, boosts growth factors like BDNF, and floods the brain with mood-lifting neurochemicals. The brain and body are in constant conversation, and plasticity means your wiring is never fixed. According to Suzuki, even ten minutes of walking can shift your brain\u2019s chemistry immediately, flooding it in a \u2018bubble bath\u2019 of positive neurochemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We created this video for <\/em>Brain Briefs<\/em><\/a>, a Big Think interview series created in partnership with <\/em>Unlikely Collaborators<\/em><\/a>. As a creative non-profit organization, they\u2019re on a mission to help people challenge their perceptions and expand their thinking. Often, that growth can start with just a single unlikely question that makes you rethink your convictions and adjust your vantage point. Visit <\/em>Perception Box<\/em><\/a> to see more in this series.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Memory decline doesn\u2019t suddenly begin in old age, it unfolds gradually over decades. The good news: this common, daily habit can chemically and structurally shift the trajectory. 3 experts explain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":595227,"template":"","tags":[],"ftm_taxonomy_concepts":[],"ftm_taxonomy_questions":[],"ftm_taxonomy_statuses":[],"ftm_taxonomy_topics":[10869],"ftm_taxonomy_sections":[10750],"ftm_taxonomy_hidden_tags":[],"ftm_taxonomy_new_topics":[11265,12552,12315,11241,11199],"ftm_membership_taxonomy":[],"class_list":["post-595226","ftm_video","type-ftm_video","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","ftm_taxonomy_topics-brain-briefs","ftm_taxonomy_sections-perception-box","ftm_taxonomy_new_topics-cognitive-psychology","ftm_taxonomy_new_topics-exercise","ftm_taxonomy_new_topics-human-behavior","ftm_taxonomy_new_topics-neurochemistry","ftm_taxonomy_new_topics-neuroscience","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe most transformative thing you can do for your brain isn\u2019t mental - Big Think<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Memory decline doesn\u2019t suddenly begin in old age, it unfolds gradually over decades. 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