David McCormick

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

I thought I would be an engineer, because I was always in the garage tinkering with either mechanical devices such as go karts, minibikes, etc. or I was taking apart televisions or building radios.

What was the most transformative course from your undergraduate education?

I really enjoyed Abstract Algebra because I loved learning the foundations of math.  But I also really enjoyed Psychology and learning about the mind. When I discovered a Neuroscience lab and joined it, I was hooked. It was the engineering of the mind!

You currently serve as the director of the Institute of Neuroscience and the new Center for the Science and Practice of Well-Being at the University of Oregon. What have been some of your most rewarding moments in this role?

I have really enjoyed getting to know students and helping them find their purpose and meaning in life and how to live a well-lived life. I created a new course called “Happiness: a Neuroscience and Psychology Perspective” and it has become one of the most popular courses on campus. We use the “Head, Heart, Hands” model of learning to reach a new level of understanding of living a well-lived life full of meaning and purpose. I have also directed a successful neuroscience institute and laboratory for many years, helping to support and practice cutting edge neuroscience research, mainly on how neural circuits in our brains guide our behavior.

Your work in the neuroscience field has allowed you to collaborate with everyone from undergraduate students at Yale University to Tibetan monks in rural India. What are some life lessons you learned from each of these professional opportunities?

I have learned that life satisfaction is directly related to the quality (not the quantity) of your inter-personal relationships. Students living together in a close-knit group at Yale, or monks living in a monastery in India, both seem to be very happy, even with very few possessions. They are living in a supportive community. Especially among the Buddhist monks the theme of life is about “We” instead of “Me”. These supportive communities, along with the “one for all and all for one” attitude brings about a level of joy and happiness that is missing in our culture, in general. I learned that happiness and life-satisfaction is up to each of us to create for ourselves, both through the training of our mental approaches and appreciation, and the way we interact with others. Building a practice of gratitude, generosity, and loving-kindness are key to a happy, well-lived life.

What neuroscience research or discoveries that you have worked on are you the most proud of, and why?

As a graduate student, I discovered the neural circuits of Pavlovian, also known as classical, conditioning. I showed that the cerebellum was critical for this simple form of learning and this discovery revealed, for the first time, a complete brain circuit for simple memories. During my postdoctoral research and as a professor, I revealed many of the circuits involved in the generation of brain activity during sleep and waking, and how neurotransmitter systems control those circuits. This work has also revealed some of the mechanisms of generation of Absence epileptic seizures. Recently, we have been working on the mechanisms of attention and being in the optimal state (concentrated and performing well). We have started to un-cover the neurotransmitter systems and neural pathways involved in allowing one to focus and do well, whether on studying, athletic performance, or other aspects of daily life. These discoveries help to reveal the ways in which neural circuits in the brain generate our behavior and even our states of mind.

What role has your liberal arts education played in the development of your career? Why do you think a well-rounded arts and sciences education are important in today’s society?

At its heart, science is a formal practice with the aim to reveal the truth. So are meditative and introspective practices, although these practices operate differently.  Finding the truth is the only way to advance ourselves, our families, and our societies. Receiving an excellent education in both humanities and sciences has been instrumental in not only my career, but also in my life. It has enriched my life and allowed me to seek a path that is clear and noble – the search for meaning, purpose, and truth.

Phi Beta Kappa’s motto is “the love of learning is the guide of life,” and we are dedicated to life-long learning. What do you want to learn next?

I want to learn why so many young people feel deeply unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives.  I want to figure out how to reveal to them the beauty that is all around us, and how we should live our lives to the fullest.  I am trying to learn how to best reach the students so that they will look at their lives with awe and wonder, gratitude and generosity, and loving-kindness for themselves and all.

What was the best advice you were ever given and who gave it to you? 

“Just put one foot in front of the other." -My mom.

What book(s) are you reading right now? Are you listening to any podcasts or watching any shows? Anything you'd recommend? 

I am reading All About Love by Bell Hooks and Life Worth Living by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnaly-Linz. I listen to Oprah Winfrey’s Supersoul Sunday, and Laurie Santos Happiness Lab on occasion. I highly recommend reading The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello.  A student gave it to me and said it changed her life. It changed mine also. Finally, I also highly recommend The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz. It is a must read for everyone interested in life.

About David McCormick:

I grew up in Indiana, the son of an electrical engineer and a math teacher. As a teenager, my mother was kicked in the jaw by her horse and that caused her to have epilepsy and cognitive inabilities. Observing how my mother’s mind depended on her brain, I decided to major in Psychology and Neuroscience at Purdue University, and to get my PhD in Neuroscience at Stanford University. I started my own neuroscience lab at Yale University School of Medicine at age 29. I recently moved to the University of Oregon and I am often found on campus with my Samoyed dog, Sasha, or riding my bike in the countryside.

Published on May 6, 2024.