Our mind has three superpowers that we can hone to grow stronger and optimize wellness.
Our three superpowers are Self, Steer, and Story.
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Self Superpower (SM): the power to relate.
Sensual, emotional, and social. The Self Superpower yearns to relate with others and experience the world. Neurological underpinnings are the Sensory-Motor Functions (SM), a set of abilities for experiencing physical sensations, emotions, and interpersonal interactions. SM enables us to relate to the environment and people around us. It also helps us sense our body’s activities with regard to respiration, hunger, heart rate, temperature, and the elimination of waste.
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Steer Superpower (EF): the power to serve.
Rational and social. Our Steer Superpower directs brain resources to manage emotions, resolve conflicts, and execute movements. This superpower is supported by the machinery of culture: constant teaching and learning. Neurological underpinnings are the Executive Functions (EF), a set of abilities that direct cognitive control for nonroutinized behavior and self-determined goals. EF gives us the brain reins to steer behavior toward desirable personal and social outcomes.
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Story Superpower (ToM): the power to narrate.
Empathetic, social, and rational in nature. The Story Superpower knits our personal experiences together into a coherent life story that can be shared with others. Neurological underpinnings are the default network’s Theory of Mind Functions (ToM). These abilities give insight into the the beliefs, desires, feelings, intentions, motivations, and perspectives of other people, and how their mental states differ from our own. ToM allows us to develop narratives to understand and predict behavior to maintain healthy relationships.
Many of the neurological malfunctions that are household words today interfere with EF, SM, and ToM. For example, the gradual loss of voluntary movement wrought by Parkinson’s disease interferes with EF. Alzheimer’s disease interferes with ToM, with a fading ability to remember the faces and names of loved ones. The loneliness of depression illustrates the loss of SM.
Our superpowers can strengthen with age
In our early years, the neurological foundation for our superpowers grows in lower brain regions. Higher cortical areas build on this foundation. These brain areas continue to grow throughout life by means of neuroplasticity. Lifelong learning strengthens our superpowers to get better with age, giving us what Mahatma Gandhi called “soul force.”
To perform a self-assessment see Chapter VI “Honing the Superpowers” in Better with Age: The Ultimate Guide to Brain Training.
To discover activities that build new brain connections to strengthen each superpower, click here.
