It is often said that learning is a lifelong journey. Each day and every experience offers new lessons. Yet, how often do we pause to understand the intricate mechanisms that govern learning within our bodies? The process begins with neurons, specialized cells that receive inputs from the external world and relay them to the brain, where they are processed and stored. Over time, with repetition, neurons adapt, bypassing the brain’s conscious processing and responding automatically. This phenomenon underlies habit formation. Better habits can make our lives more successful and meaningful. Keeping this in mind, let’s try to change our habits, and neuron networks, to make the year more successful for ourselves.

Let’s first understand the basics. Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb famously summarized this process when he said in 1949 that, “neurons that fire together, wire together.” His research demonstrated that groups of neurons coordinate to perform specific actions, a principle extremely relevant to the formation of habits. Habits often manifest as automatic behaviours—actions performed without conscious deliberation. For instance, the urge to smoke is rarely weighed for its merits or consequences; it’s an automatic act driven by a neural network conditioned to respond in a specific way. The neurons associated with this habit “fire together” to create a seamless, habitual response.

This understanding of neural networks is now being used beyond biology, influencing the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Nobel laureates of this year in physics, John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton, drew their inspiration from these networks to develop artificial neural networks, which are foundational to machine learning. These networks enable computers to learn patterns and behaviours without explicit programming, mimicking the brain’s ability to form habits.

With this knowledge, we realize that our brains can be trained. If neurons can form networks that drive automatic behaviours, why not harness this capability to cultivate positive habits? Imagine replacing the automaticity of smoking with the habit of drinking water, swapping binge-watching with voracious reading, or training ourselves to pause and smile instead of reacting impulsively.

The beauty of this transformation lies in its simplicity. We don’t need an advanced degree in neuroscience to rewire our habits. Instead, by consciously changing our actions and feeding our neurons with new, positive inputs, we can reshape their networks – wire them. Over time, these new behaviours become ingrained, forming beneficial habits – making them fire together.

Start small. Identify one habit you wish to change, and consciously practice the new behaviour repeatedly. With persistence, your neurons will rewire, and your actions will follow suit. The science of change can be within our grasp—ready to transform not just your habits but your life in this new year.