Grit and Tenacity - What do these words mean to you?

Do you consider yourself successful? Have you ever wondered why you weren't more successful? What about trying to understand what separates you from the ones leading their fields in research, business, sports, or even fitness? If you fit one or more of these molds, I'd like to offer you a neurological explanation based on scientific research and data.

If you're as big of a Goggins guy as I am, then you may have stumbled upon his interview on the Huberman lab from the beginning of the year. I found this interview to be a little unlike his other interviews as the host of the podcast is a neuroscientist by profession. Throughout the interview, they discuss what is essentially discussed in all Goggin's interviews; his childhood, his maturation from illiterate teen to decorated Navy seal, and what he's accomplished in along the way. Profound and inspiring stuff, regardless of how many times you hear or read the stories. But I digress. Dr Huberman goes into detail of some more recent research that has gone into the study of the Anterior Mid Cingulate Cortex (aMCC).

The aMCC is essentially located in the middle of your brain (between the brain stem and cerebral cortex). For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the cerebral cortex, its responsibilities are, among other things, reasoning, thought, decision-making, and emotion. Due to the location of this structure, Morecraft and Van Hoesen suggest that 'the aMCC may serve as a cortical entry point for limbic influence on the voluntary motor system." What this means is, the conclusions that we come to in the cerebral cortex, determine the hormonal release facilitated by the aMCC.

Research has also shown that the aMCC connects several portions of the brain that would otherwise be segregated. What this means is, not only is it closely connected to the cerebral cortex, it also receives stimulus from the sensory regions of the brain. Due to this fact, it has been suggested that the aMCC is a "functional hub of communication (1)"

As a result of the connection the aMCC has to many parts of the brain, the aMCC is a major player in the subconscious determination of effort required to perform certain tasks. As difficult or painful tasks present themselves, the aMCC weighs the expected results of performing such tasks with the effort required as well as the anticipated outcome of them. "Multiple theories suggest a role for aMCC in preparing control systems for future demands by adjusting to prediction errors (1)" which is accomplished by "learning tasks modulated by previous trials in a way that speeds responses to trials of equivalent difficulty. (1) In layman's terms, the determinations made by the aMCC that influence our actions are based on previous experiences. So, if something is perceived to deliver suboptimal results with respect to the effort required to perform the task, we're more than likely avoiding that task.

What separates the "normal" from the "tenacious" is the ability of one to overcome this aspect of decision making. Those with a greater power to will themselves into or through something, have a greater aMCC. This point is further proven with studies done on research participants having symptoms or diagnosis of depression. When stimulated, the aMCC of these individuals showed dysfunction and a lesser response. "It has been shown that the degree of reduction in aMCC volume predicts the severity of apathetic symptoms in depression" (1).

So, to bring this full circle, Dr. Huberman suggested that it is possible to "grow" your aMCC response by being tenacious, or willing yourself to complete tasks even when your aMCC response is telling you the outcome is not worth the input. This is exactly why he suggests that Goggins may have unlocked the secret to pushing his body beyond normal limitations. In spite of his mind telling him the tasks of running 200 miles is not worth the effort and pain required to do so, he is still able to push past his neurological limitations. Therefore, consistently performing tasks that exceed perceived limits makes it easier to perform these such tasks in the future. However, it is suggested that this is an expiring trait. Meaning, the longer time passes between expressing this tenacity, the higher the resistance will be to complete such tasks becomes.

Note: Performing tasks against the subconscious determination of your aMCC is not as difficult as running 200 miles. Personally, I force myself into cold water immersion multiple times per day. I hate it. I don't want to do it. Therefor, I do it. Small steps like this help us to grow our mental strength, which makes the physical tasks easier to accomplish.