IMD-OWP22-PostEvent-Report-V11[8]

→Wellbeing

KEYNOTE

“YOUR BRAIN IS YOUR BIGGEST ASSET: LIVE BY DESIGN, NOT BY DEFAULT”

Healthy lifestyle habits are essential for peak performance and wellbeing, says Dr Murali Doraiswamy, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, with regular exercise, sleep and meditation vital to promoting brain health.

Keynote highlights

In our fast-paced world, it’s often easy to take our brain for granted, said Doraiswamy, but doing so can be to the detriment of the brain’s long-term performance. “The most important investment you can make is in yourself, your brain, and your wellbeing,” he told Orchestrating Winning Performance participants during his keynote address. “If you treat your brain like a computer and let it gather dust (…) its warranty is going to be very short.”

While we may think that our brain’s patterns become fixed by a certain age, studies have shown that it is possible to change our brain at any age. “Many of us think we are hardwired by our genes,” he said. “But these [genes] can be turned on or turned off by lifestyle.” Doraiswamy outlined four key changes that participants can make to help promote wellbeing, enhance cognition, and slow down brain deterioration.

150

151