Human nature drives people to evolve. Throughout life, individuals face a strong desire to grow and overcome the limitations holding them back. However, finding a practical path to reach this potential often proves difficult. Many self-help resources rely solely on scientific habit tracking or focus strictly on spiritual lessons. This leaves readers without a complete strategy for personal development.
Author David Torne and his platform, Neutorn, solve this problem with his new book, OUR BEST SELVES. Torne combines neuroscience with principles from the Torah and Bible to offer readers direct tools for improvement. We spoke with Torne to discuss his approach to personal growth. In this interview, we cover how he connects faith with science and how readers can apply these concepts to live a more fulfilling life.
Q: What drove you to write a guide that combines religious texts with scientific studies to address personal growth?
David Torne: I have always asked many questions and wanted to understand how the world works. Eventually, that curiosity became more personal: Why do we know that we could be doing more with our lives, yet find ourselves repeating the same routines? What are we really living for?
I found that the Torah and the Bible contain deep observations about human behaviour—about desire, responsibility, discipline, joy, leadership, rest, and purpose. Science allows us to look at many of the same ideas from a physical perspective. It shows us how the brain learns, how repeated actions form connections, and why certain responses become automatic.
When we bring both together, we gain a clearer picture. Spiritual wisdom helps us understand what is worth pursuing, while science helps us understand how to train ourselves to pursue it.
I wanted the book to be practical. The goal was not simply to tell people to improve, but to help them understand themselves, identify what they are living for, and build daily habits that bring them closer to it.
Q: You state that people naturally yearn to overcome their limitations. How can readers identify the specific mental or spiritual barriers holding them back?
David Torne: I would begin by asking a positive question: Where do I really want to go?
We need to know what we are living for, what we are naturally good at, what activities fill us with joy, and what kind of contribution we want to make. Once that becomes clearer, it is easier to see which parts of our daily lives support that direction and which ones do not.
A barrier is not always an obvious weakness. It may be an expectation that somebody else placed on us, an environment that keeps distracting us, or a routine that takes time but gives little back. We can also create roadblocks by assuming that something is impossible before honestly exploring it.
A useful practice is to review the day. What did I enjoy? What gave me energy? When did I act consciously, and when did I simply follow an old reaction? What would I like to repeat tomorrow, and what would I change?
This is not about judging ourselves harshly. We are trying to know ourselves. We cannot become another person, but we can develop our strengths, redirect learned reactions, and remove unnecessary limitations from our path.
Q: The book explains the science of fulfillment, including the role of dopamine and neurons. How does understanding brain chemistry help individuals stay motivated?
David Torne:
Understanding dopamine helps us see that wanting something is not necessarily the same as enjoying it.
Dopamine is closely involved in learning how to obtain an expected reward. The difficulty is that our expectations are not always accurate. Advertising, social validation, and repeated messages can make us imagine that a product, achievement, or experience will give us tremendous pleasure. When it does not satisfy us, we may continue seeking it, believing that perhaps the next time—or a little more—will finally deliver what was promised.
That can create a loop: expectation, pursuit, disappointment, and renewed pursuit.
We can interrupt that loop by examining the experience honestly. Did it really give me pleasure? Did it improve my life? Or was the anticipation stronger than the reality?
The same understanding can strengthen positive habits. When we study, exercise, complete meaningful work, help someone, or spend valuable time with people we love, we should stop and notice the good feeling that follows. Awareness of that joy helps the brain learn that the action is rewarding.
Motivation becomes stronger when we do not only know that an action is good, but also recognise the genuine pleasure and fulfilment within it.
Q: You draw practical guidance from both the Torah and the Bible. How do these spiritual texts support the biological science of human motivation?
David Torne: The Torah and the Bible have described patterns of human behaviour for thousands of years. They speak about free choice, repetition, desire, responsibility, gratitude, rest, wisdom, relationships, leadership, and the consequences of our actions.
Science gives us a closer view of how some of these processes take place. Repeated thoughts and actions strengthen connections in the brain. Our surroundings can activate familiar responses, while attention allows us to stop, evaluate what we are doing, and begin establishing a different response.
In that sense, every action is doing two things: it creates an immediate result, and it also teaches us something about how to act in the future.
Spiritual wisdom provides direction to this ability. Science can help us understand how a habit forms, but it cannot by itself decide what we should live for. The texts help us consider which habits are good, what kind of person we should become, and how our growth should benefit others.
This also applies to leadership. Before leading others, we must learn to direct ourselves. Our values, words, habits, and treatment of people teach far more than instructions alone. Science helps explain the mechanism; spiritual wisdom helps define the purpose.
Q: Unlearning negative habits is often the hardest part of personal development. What steps do you recommend for establishing new guidelines for daily life?
David Torne: First, we need to know what those guidelines are meant to serve. A habit is useful when it supports the person we want to become and what we are living for.
For a negative habit, I recommend examining it completely and honestly. What does it promise? What does it actually provide? Does it bring real pleasure or value, or have we learned to expect something from it that never truly arrives?
As long as we believe that the habit gives us something good, stopping feels like deprivation. When we see clearly that it gives us no real benefit, we can decide to leave it behind without continuing to admire it or look back at it as a loss. That decision does not always have to be gradual.
Then we should actively build the positive habits that belong in the space it leaves: learning, caring for our health, reflection, meaningful work, gratitude, service, rest, or time with the people who matter to us. A new habit can be connected to a particular time, place, or existing routine, and it can begin at a manageable level when necessary.
Most importantly, notice the joy it brings. Positive habits are not merely obligations. When we recognise their benefits as we experience them, they become part of who we are.
Q: What is the main action you want readers to take after they finish reading OUR BEST SELVES?
David Torne: I want readers to ask themselves: What am I living for?
Not as a question to answer quickly, but as something to explore honestly. What gives me meaning? What am I capable of contributing? What qualities do I want to develop? Which activities make me feel that I am where I am meant to be?
Then I want them to write their answer down and look at their daily lives. Do their habits support that purpose? Are they making time for what matters, or are automatic routines and outside expectations directing most of their days?
From there, they can establish clear personal guidelines: what they want to practise, what they no longer want to carry, what they need to learn, and how they want to treat and influence the people around them.
This can improve our relationships, our work, and the way we lead, but it goes beyond achievement. The purpose is to build a life that feels meaningful while we are living it.
Becoming our best selves does not mean becoming perfect or becoming somebody else. It means discovering what we have been given, developing it fully, and using it for something worthwhile.
Our discussion made it clear that personal growth requires a balanced approach. By combining the biology of motivation with spiritual principles, individuals gain a better set of tools to overcome their limitations. Torne provides a practical framework that helps readers understand how their minds work and why their spiritual health matters.
The demand for practical personal development will continue to grow as people seek purpose in a busy world. Resources that bridge the gap between science and faith offer a highly effective way to achieve lasting change. Torne provides a clear, actionable guide for anyone ready to reach their full potential.
To learn more visit www.neutorn.com