I’m a neuroscientist – I began working less and transformed my brain health

Dr Joseph Jebelli is familiar with the lure of overwork. In his studies to become a neuroscientist, he found himself doing 12 hour days, spending daylight hours in the lab, and evenings and weekends working furiously on grants and his first book. He believed – like many of us do – that the only way to achieve what he wanted was to work increasingly harder. But then he started to link his behaviour with his father, whose work ethic led to a mental health crisis in middle age, when Jebelli was a child. His father now lives with major depressive disorder and barely talks or moves. Seeing that in himself scared him. While studying for his post grad in Washington in his twenties, he decided to break the cycle and change course. The results were as instant as they were surprising. “As soon as I started working less, I noticed that the things in my life that I wanted to achieve were happening far, far more easily,” says Jebelli, who now works and lives in London. “I’m more productive than I was before. I’m more efficient. I write more fluidly. Things came more easily, and it’s precisely because I’ve eased off my work a little bit.” The apparent contradiction of working less to achieve more led to Jebelli exploring what neuroscientists call the resting brain – the subject of his new book. He discovered that our brain is actually working harder for us when we are resting than when we are working, and this results in benefits that are physical, emotional, creative, productive and even societal. (Photo: IvanWeiss)

Overworking damages the brain...

There is a circuit of neurons made up of four regions across the brain that, when activated, enable us to do everything you were discouraged from doing at school: daydreaming, mind wandering, napping, imagining. “This network of neurons – called the default network – becomes active when you’re disengaged from a work-oriented task; when you’re disengaged from anything that’s very mentally exerting,” Jebelli explains. This is in contrast to the executive network, which is engaged during a work-based task. These two networks are constantly working in competition. When we are busy, our executive network overrides our default network neurons, “a bit like a neighbour’s WiFi signal blocking our own,” says Jebelli. “But when we rest, our executive network is quieted, allowing our default network to flourish.” The brain needs a different type of rest than the muscles in the body need. Our brains don’t ‘stop’ when resting – they just shift into a different state. In fact, the default network is thought to occupy about 20 per cent of the brain, meaning one fifth of our brains only come alive when we rest. (Photo: 10'000 Hours/Getty/Digital Vision)

...Resting repairs it

“This idea that when you’re stepping away from work that you’re doing ‘nothing’ is completely false,” says Jebelli who says we are in the grip of a ‘work pandemic’. “I think we’ve essentially been tricked by capitalism to think that if I’m not ‘working’, then I’m doing nothing. From the brain’s perspective, nothing could be further from the truth.” When we overwork (using our executive networks without resting) it thins the frontal cortex which controls problem-solving and attention; shrinks the hippocampus which supports learning and memory; enlarges the amygdala which heightens the fight-or-flight response; and triggers the release of glucocorticoids, hormones that attack your neurons and damage your brain circuitry. Meanwhile, several studies have also found that periods of rest improve workers’ and students’ problem-solving abilities. Other studies have found that rest improves memory and performance, allows creativity to flourish, can literally grow our brains, as well as making us more empathetic and better connected to the world around us. (Photo: Tom Merton/Getty)

Need to solve a problem? Go for a walk

Jebelli says that the most common question he’s asked is “what is the best way for me to rest?” Studies actually show that the default network is pretty all or nothing: when one region is activated, the rest will join in in unison. So the best rest for you is whatever you find relaxing – you’ll still reap the benefits of an entirely engaged default network. However, studies about specific forms of rest have revealed some incredible results. Take mind wandering, for example. By allowing your neurons to reset during mind wandering, you can see problems with new eyes and discover unexpected solutions. This is the effect when you suddenly solve a work problem in the shower – also known as the ‘Fresh Start’ theory. Mind wandering has also been found to “strengthen your brain’s synaptic connections, shift your cerebral blood flow and circulation, and reduce your chances of developing neurological illnesses including depression and dementia,” according to Jebelli. Napping is a particularly powerful form of rest. A recent study found that a 30 minute nap increases the size of your brain by the volume of a small plum, with scientists hypothesising napping could slow down ageing by up to six years. Napping is thought to lower stress by reducing cortisol levels and encouraging the regeneration of damaged cells, but “the benefits are probably even more amazing than we actually currently understand.” Jebelli says. Another is spending time in nature. Studies show being around plants and green spaces improves connections between brain cells, and reduces inflammation in the brain, protecting against dementia and depression.

Exercise is resting for the brain

Spending time in purposeful solitude and silence also activates the brain’s default network. Some research has shown that silence stimulates the growth of new brain cells and triggers the release of a molecule thought to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, Jebelli says. “Silence also bolsters our cognitive functions, leading to enhanced memory and attention, as well as reducing mental fatigue and stress, fostering a sense of calm and emotional well-being.” Rest can also be active. Any form of exercise can activate the default network – whether you like walking, running, cycling, yoga or weight lifting. Exercise can also enable mind wandering, which floods the brain with beneficial neurotransmitters – explaining why taking a break to move your body, you’ll often return to a task feeling more creative and inspired. (Photo: Maskot/Getty/Digital Vision)

Scrolling on your phone is the opposite of resting

The crucial aspect of resting in the modern world, says Jebelli, is not to fall for ‘fake rest’. Anything that is actively engaging – whether that’s phone notifications, train announcements, infinite scrolling, a text from your friend – is known as a ‘hard fascination’. In other words, they don’t hold our attention in an effortless way. “They feel effortful. And they feel effortful precisely because they’re activating your executive network and silencing the resting brain.” Jebelli acknowledges that it’s becoming harder and harder to actively avoid these hard fascinations. Our brains are wired with a novelty bias – the natural preference we have to engage in a new option when it is presented to us – and our phones are absolutely rife with novelty. “It feels restful when you stop doing your work and you look at your phone, because it’s a distraction,” Jebelli explains. “But that’s down to the novelty bias, where you can get a few hits of dopamine by looking at some YouTube shorts. They feel like an escape but it’s just a trick.” Instead, he recommends seeking out ‘soft fascinations’ where possible, which “allow you to pay attention to things in an effortless way”. This is what you find in nature when you are watching the movement of the leaves or listening to bird sound, or staring into a bonfire or lapping waves; but you can also find it in mindless daily tasks like hanging laundry or doing a repetitive, creative hobby. “Soft fascinations hold your attention in a completely effortless way, and that has a direct physiological impact on your brain. It’s good for your brain and your mental health.” (Photo: Yui Mok/PA)

Everyone has time to rest every day

Jebelli is often faced with the attitude that incorporating rest into daily life is a luxury – something many feel they can’t afford. “I understand why people say that it’s at loggerheads with modern life from a practical perspective: we all have to deal with the economic system that we currently live in.” But he argues that everyone – no matter how busy – can find small moments to rest in. “It’s about intentional rest. You have to choose to do it. And I think that’s the stumbling block for lots of people. But if more and more people understood the science of it, I think we would interweave it into our daily lives much more than we do currently.“ This can look like anything from closing your eyes for a few minutes at your desk between tasks; doing chores without a podcast on; going for a five minute walk without your phone; or just sitting on your sofa and drinking a cup of tea in the moments after your child has gone to sleep. But the world will not facilitate it without you carving out that time. (Photo: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty/Moment RF)