00:00Most people don't know this, but there's a brain structure called the anterior mid-cingulate cortex.
00:05As we pointed out before, that's a noun, it's a name, it doesn't mean anything.
00:08We could call it the cookie monster.
00:11Right.
00:11But what's interesting about this brain area is there are now a lot of data in humans,
00:16that's a mouse study, showing that when people do something they don't want to do,
00:21like add three hours of exercise per day or per week,
00:25or when people who are trying to diet and lose weight resist eating something.
00:30Right.
00:31When people do anything that they don't want to do.
00:33Right.
00:33It's not about adding more work, it's about adding more work that you don't want to do.
00:38Yes.
00:38This brain area gets bigger.
00:40Yeah.
00:40Now here's what's especially interesting about this brain area to me.
00:43The anterior mid-cingulate cortex is smaller in obese people.
00:47It gets bigger when they diet.
00:48It's larger in athletes.
00:49It's especially large or grows larger in people that see themselves as challenged and overcome some challenge.
00:58Right.
00:58And in people that live a very long time, this area keeps its size.
01:03In many ways, scientists are starting to think of the anterior mid-cingulate cortex,
01:07not just as one of the seats of willpower, but perhaps actually the seat of the will to live.
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