Neuroscientist Ana Ibáñez Shares Brain Training Tips for Wellbeing at Sold-Out Creand Talks
At the Andorran conference, she demonstrated techniques like concentration bubbles, positive self-talk, and controlled stress exposure to boost focus, reduce anxiety, and foster mental resilience.
Key Points
- Ana Ibáñez shared brain training techniques at sold-out Creand Talks in Andorra.
- Techniques include concentration bubbles, positive self-talk, and controlled stress exposure.
- Tools aim to boost focus, reduce anxiety, manage emotions, and build mental resilience.
- Event featured interactive exercises and EEG-based brainwave insights for wellbeing.
Creand Crèdit Andorrà hosted neuroscientist and science communicator Ana Ibáñez for a conference on Tuesday at the Centre de Congressos in Andorra la Vella, titled *Secrets de la neurociència per viure millor*. The sold-out event, part of the bank's Creand Talks series, drew a large crowd interested in practical neuroscience strategies for everyday wellbeing.
Ibáñez explained that the brain, as a highly responsive organ, can be trained through targeted interventions. Using electroencephalograms, she assesses brainwave frequencies to help individuals strengthen underdeveloped patterns or calm overactive ones linked to anxiety and stress. She described stress as the body's response to perceived threats, often from work or daily tasks, and recommended self-talk to affirm no real danger exists. Focusing on benefits, such as an end-of-month paycheck, offers one effective countermeasure.
The session included interactive exercises applicable in personal and professional settings, such as "concentration bubbles"—short periods dedicated to one task, free from multitasking. Ibáñez outlined evidence-based tools for managing emotions, improving focus and energy, and cultivating positive thoughts. She emphasized self-esteem as a core human need requiring active reinforcement, alongside daily brain-training routines tailored to goals like overcoming fears, lifting mood, achieving genuine happiness, and enhancing vitality.
Drawing on examples, Ibáñez illustrated how pleasant stimuli like music or fond memories can shift brain activity. A student listening to a summer song before an exam, for instance, generates calming alpha waves, reducing amygdala-driven fear responses. She advocated "inconveniencing" the brain with controlled stress exposure to build resilience, a lesson from observing young athletes who falter under pressure despite physical prowess. "When the brain enjoys itself, it stops fighting stress and feels safer," she noted. In modern life, she added, the challenge lies in pursuing happiness rather than mere survival, cultivating a "mental beauty" that improves with age.
The Creand Talks series regularly features experts from various fields to inform the Andorran public.
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