How Your Brain’s Executive Function Works | Sabine Doebel @TED #tedtalks #ted

I only recently learned how to drive.

And it was really hard.

Now, as a cognitive scientist

I know that this is because I was using a lot

of something called executive function.

Executive function is our amazing ability

to consciously control our thoughts,

emotions and actions

in order to achieve goals ...

like learning how to drive.

It's what we use when we need  to break away from habit,

inhibit our impulses

and plan ahead.

If you really want to improve  your executive function

in a way that matters for your life,

you have to understand

how it's influenced by context.

Let's say that you want to learn Spanish.

You could try changing your context

and surrounding yourself with other people

who also want to learn,

and even better if these are  people that you really like.

That way you'll be more motivated

to use executive function.

Don't look for quick fixes.

Think about the context

and how you can make your  goals matter more to you,

and how you can use strategies

to help yourself in that particular situation.