Neuropsychology in your Daily Life

How can Neuropsychology Improve Your Life?

Although clinical neuropsychology is an applied science interested in studying how a brain injury impacts the behavior of the person who suffers it, we also have cognitive neuropsychology, which, unlike traditional neuropsychology, the mental, studies the components.

That makes up each mental process; how attention, perception, memory, language, reading, etc., are composed, how the operation of each of these processes impacts the person’s behavior, whether in the event of a brain injury or a person without a brain injury.

Therefore, at present, the field of application of neuropsychology is broad since it allows us to understand how the function of each mental process is related to the way we act.

Perceive the environment, relate to others, learn, make decisions, etc., either since we are children, have an active working life, or be older adults.

As an example of the above, let’s think of the following: “a bank executive”.

To carry out her work efficiently, she requires that the entire central nervous system function in optimal conditions.

Let’s consider a specific situation: a potential client arrives with the desire to contract a gold account.

In the first place, it requires an initial attentional process. In a matter of milliseconds (ms), it can focus on the client and maintain that focus on him long enough, thus providing a response coherently according to the needs that the client is raising.

Now let’s think that the client is exceptionally demanding and remains not convinced by the first alternatives that the executive offers him. She will have to modify tones of voice, gestures, body language, and self-regulate to maintain control over the situation and thus continue to serve the customer correctly and sell the banking product ( perception, inhibition, mental flexibility, social cognition ). Finally, of the entire range of products that the bank has, the teller decides to offer a combined scheme that will meet the client’s requirements ( memory and planning ), managing to seal the contract with the client.

For Example

If the bank executive required difficulties in any of the functions above, her work would not be efficient, which would transcend other areas such as affective, causing disorders such as anxiety or depression, and the social space (isolating herself due to continuous job frustration ).

The previous example illustrates how our brain works and how, without realizing it, this operation directs us, which happens in all environments, at any age.

Each activity will require mental processes to a lesser or greater extent, and, according to this, the degree of “the process formula” will depend. Still, we will always need optimal mental functioning, which, on some occasions, may be affected by the excess of stress, sadness, emotional instability, or the loss of a loved one, and not necessarily as a result of a brain injury. Therefore, just as it remains recommended to have a medical check-up at least every six months, it is advisable to have a neuropsychological check-up at least once a year.

The Following are some of the Top 9 Practical uses for Neuropsychology in Everyday Life.

1. Helps you get to know Yourself: Define your Cognitive Strengths and Weaknesses.

Suppose your goal is to finish a project that you have been putting off for years, lose weight, otherwise learn a new language. In that case, some neuropsychologists offer targeted assessments to determine your strengths and weaknesses to identify the estimated time it will take you to achieve that goal.

It will be beneficial to improve the strategic plan and increase the chances of achieving it, and therefore, it will keep you focused and motivated.

So, using an evidence-based, methodological approach, a neuropsychologist will support you in:

Learn about yourself, relating the functioning of your brain to your behaviors and your daily activities, taking into account your life history (medical history), your interests, and your personality.

Set clear objectives that are directly related to your goals.

2. Improve your Leadership skills.

It doesn’t matter if you are an office manager or a volunteer for a cause. Having good leadership skills will likely be essential at some point in your life. Neuropsychological assessment can help you improve your leadership skills since these skills are directly related to functions known as  “executive functions and social cognition”.

Identifying the degree of functioning in which we have these functions is necessary to maintain leadership skills effectively.

3. Improve the Way we Communicate.

Communication involves considerably more than the way you speak or write. It remains suggested that nonverbal cues make up a large part of our interpersonal communications. To communicate a message effectively, you must learn how to express yourself non-verbally and read the non-verbal cues of those around you. Therefore, it starts from basic language skills (expressive and receptive) to social cognition.

4. Learn to understand others better.

Like a non-verbal message, your ability to understand your emotions and the emotions of persons. Around you plays an essential role in your interactions and professional life. The term  “social cognition”  refers to the ability to understand the behavior of others and respond appropriately in social settings (2); In addition, this capacity includes various elements such as empathy. Identification and proper recognition of emotions, social judgment, among others.

A neuropsychologist will help you to recognize which of these elements in social cognition you master and which you need to improve.

5. Make more Accurate decisions.

Research in cognitive neuropsychology has provided a great deal of information about decision-making (executive functioning). Through applying these strategies to your life, you can learn to make wiser decisions.

Has it happened to you that it is difficult for you to make an important decision, or the result you made was not the right one?

The neuropsychologist, based on their assessment, will provide. You with strategies to acquire the necessary tools and determine the appropriate options.

6. Improve your Memory.

Have you always wondered why you can remember the exact details of childhood events. And forget the name of the new client you met yesterday? The cognitive model of memory, and current studies of it. Provide us with information about how we form new memories. How and why we forget them, and how we could keep them longer to consolidate them.

The neuropsychologist, through this knowledge. Directly applies the training of your memory so that you can carry it out in daily life.

7. Improve Academic Performance.

From preschool to higher academic grade, neuropsychology determines the optimal functioning of mental processes. Therefore, identify your attention span, perceptual, memory, language, processing speed, etc. It will guide you to acquire appropriate strategies according to your mental functioning and thus optimize your academic performance.

8. Improve Productivity.

Currently, the word  “coaching”  is in fashion. However, we can find that many of these services lack a scientific methodology based on evidence. In properly developed neuroscience and psychology research. It has remained found that trying to improve your activities by relying. On coaching impairs not only speed, accuracy, and productivity (1).

If you want to improve your productivity. Go with a trained and certified person in the health area (with a professional license) to guide you properly.

How can a neuropsychologist help me to increase my productivity? Returning to the first point, the neuropsychologist. Through an evaluation, will provide you with information about yourself. What skills you have and how to focus these skills to achieve your goals.

9. Be Healthier.

Ultimately, neuropsychology is a discipline that provides support to improve your overall health. From ways to encourage exercise and better nutrition to new treatments for depression and anxiety. The field of primary health neuropsychology offers a host of beneficial strategies. That can support you to be healthier and happier.

So, as we have reviewed, clinical neuropsychology is dedicated to studying. The brain’s relationship and behaviour when faced with brain injury. However, neuropsychology transcends other areas besides the clinic. Such as emotional, social, educational, and work, helping us to live a better life, a life with awareness and intelligence.