Brant Cortright, Ph.D. brings brain research into a new dimension by putting it into a holistic health context. Cortright’s lessons about brain health incorporate body, heart, mind, and spirit. He clarifies some common misconceptions, and shares how we can help our brains thrive and grow, including what we might be doing to unknowingly cause harm. Emotions are a critical element of our brain function, he says. “Having relationships and having feelings which are mostly in the positive spectrum is really good for our brain.” Isolation and loneliness are becoming the biggest risk factor for diseases and are most harmful to our brain, he says. He discusses how much greater our cognitive capacity could be if we made changes in our daily habits, and says “most people think of the brain as either healthy or unhealthy, but it turns out that what we think of as the normal healthy brain is actually operating at a level much below optimal…we are living in such a neurotoxic world, there are so many assaults that our brain is taking in…almost all of us are operating well below our capacity.” Listen to find Dr. Brant Cortright’s recommendations for achieving optimal brain function. (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)