From the course: Your Brain at Work (Blinkist Summary)

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Achieve your optimal level of performance

Achieve your optimal level of performance

From the course: Your Brain at Work (Blinkist Summary)

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Achieve your optimal level of performance

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- [Instructor] Blink number three. Optimal mental performance requires just the right level of arousal in your brain. Which would you watch more intently, a once in a lifetime solar eclipse that lasts only a minute, or the tree outside your window? If you're like most people, you focus better when you're faced with a tight deadline or when you're presented with something new and interesting. That's because being alert and interested sharpens our focus. For us to be alert, our brains require exactly the right level of norepinephrine, a chemical that's triggered when we're scared. Fear activates our alertness, and alertness is a crucial part of being focused. And for our interest to be aroused, our brain needs just the right amount of another chemical, dopamine. Dopamine is triggered whenever we experience something new or unexpected, which means it's an important factor in our becoming interested in something.…

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