I was recently sent a video clip where a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University, Dr. Andrew Huberman, discussed fascinating research into one of our brain’s structures called the Anterior Mid Cingulate Cortex. According to Dr. Huberman, the AMCC has been referred to as not just the seat of willpower but also the seat of our will to live. Interestingly, the data he mentioned revealed that the AMCC is larger in people who frequently overcome challenges, particularly those who complete actions they do not want to do. Professional athletes were given as an example of people who had comparatively large AMCCs.

Naturally, I had to dive deeper into what the AMCC is responsible for. I learned that the AMCC plays a significant role in various cognitive and emotional processes, including emotional regulation, decision-making, fear and pain processing, and motivation/stress response, to name a few.

When I listened to Dr. Huberman, I immediately remembered the book Man’s Search for Meaning. The author, Viktor Frankl, wrote about his experiences as a prisoner in a concentration camp during WW2. Frankl related his observations on how the survival of prisoners would sometimes appear to hinge on their mental state and ability to find meaning and envision a future for themselves. This ability to increase our will to live by harnessing the power of our minds has been a consistent theme in all the training and learning I’ve done in my different careers.

An example of this is in the book On Combat by L. Col. David Grossman, where he provides numerous case studies where officers had been interviewed after they were wounded during officer-involved shootings. Many interviewed officers mentioned being able to draw on a reserve of motivation to keep fighting to survive despite horrific wounds and unfavorable odds.

These narratives align with the idea that specific brain areas like the AMCC might influence our will to live. However, it’s essential to recognize the complexity of our physiology, particularly our brain functioning. We can rarely trace outcomes to a singular cause, whereas most of the time, a network of interrelated factors contributes to what we can see.

The concept that the AMCC may have something to do with our will to live is an exceptional finding. However, I have a few questions. For one, to what extent does the AMCC drive our tenacity? Is there a correlation, or is it causal? How can we grow our AMCC? How much intentional discomfort is enough to grow it? What is the most efficient way to increase the mass of our AMCC? What are the benefits of focusing on the AMCC as a growth area?

My work with All Around Consulting explores performance drivers in high performers. A consistent theme is intentionally pursuing discomfort to enhance performance and resilience. Dr. Huberman’s statement that the act of doing something you don’t want to do was found to increase the size of your AMCC. This links to my observations and research into high performers, where a common trend is intentionally seeking discomfort and pushing outside one’s comfort zone.

I have always wondered where our will to live comes from. I have seen people endure unimaginable struggles, continue to push onward and fight to recover and grow. I have also seen others who have faced similar challenges, who, for whatever reason, did not possess that same level of tenacity and drive and become stuck, or in the worst-case scenarios, were unable to overcome their struggles and lost their battles.

Based on my experiences as a combat veteran, police officer, and widower, there may be some merit. After everything life has thrown at me, no matter how much I was hurting and how hopeless things were at times, I felt like something in me kept urging me forward. It was as if I could feel and hear a hidden “source” inside of me telling me to get up, keep going, and not stop.

I don’t say this to claim that I’m special or possess something that those who lost their battles didn’t possess. I say this because I have experienced some of the lowest lows and some of the hardest challenges and continued putting one foot in front of the other. Why could I do this when others with similar access to help and support could not?

The question of why some people can overcome intense hardships while others don’t has long intrigued psychologists and researchers. We know many strategies and habits to build and maintain resilience, and many effective therapy treatments support people's journeys toward positive mental health. However, a more profound question remains: why do some people overcome tremendous adversity while others cannot?

Circling back to the initial video that inspired this article, I have seen the benefits of doing things you don’t want to do. Intentionally making yourself uncomfortable unquestionably increases your resilience and ability to perform at a high level. This is evident when you consider trauma therapy, which often requires exposure treatments where you confront your traumatic memories. This involves reliving the trauma, confronting the emotions, and continuing until the intensity gradually wears off.

Think about your own life. If you want to run a marathon, you must continually experience discomfort and even pain as you choose to log longer and longer runs. To lose weight, you must change your eating and exercise habits, experiencing discomfort and hunger. To get a degree, you must attend classes, complete assignments, and study when you prefer to do something else with your time.

This is a complex topic, and the world’s best researchers are exploring the intersection of neuroscience and psychology to draw conclusions that increase our awareness and understanding. Although I don’t have the answers to all the questions posed earlier, my experiences and research have shown that seeking out and experiencing discomfort helps you unlock increased resilience and performance. If the AMCC indeed is the secret to our will to live, then it might be safe to say that voluntary discomfort would no longer be a nice to do but rather a must-do for people.