Community, Commitment, and Brain Health

Commitments arise in relationship

Relationships usually involve some type of commitment. This may be a commitment of the heart, where the love felt for another is generated without conscious activity. For example, the longing felt when you miss your dear friend is a kind of heart commitment.

How is commitment related to dendrite growth and brain health?

Commitment implies a return-to, perhaps a repetition, as in a daily discipline, a weekly gathering, a monthly board meeting. This process creates brain connections which strengthen with the repetition. The imagination is engaged to create conditions in which the commitment can be upheld. Commitment also engages the emotional being, when one determines that a person or project is valued enough to warrant commitment.

I found the following description in the Unitarian Universalist’s membership information. This is a beautiful formula for brain health and dendrite growth.

“Your signature is your affirming symbol of commitment to an open-minded, inclusive, reasoned, seasoned, compassionate and contemporary approach to life.”

These words effectively describe the conditions which lend themselves to healthy brain growth, and vibrant aging.

Enjoy your community this season,
love and blessings
Suzanna