25 Ways to Make Your Brain More Efficient - Men's Journal

We show you how to train your brain to be smarter, faster, and better than ... of classes, just learning a new dance had also helped the individuals score ... Skiptocontent Skiptofooter AndyRyan byBrianGood ClicktoshareonFacebook(Opensinnewwindow)ClicktoshareonTwitter(Opensinnewwindow)ClicktoshareonLinkedIn(Opensinnewwindow)ClicktoshareonReddit(Opensinnewwindow)ClicktoshareonPinterest(Opensinnewwindow) Comments Inalotofways,youroverallintelligenceisfairlywellestablishedbeforeyoueverhaveanythingtodowithit.Familygenetics,yourdietasaninfant,vaccinations,illnessesduringchildhood,yourpreschooleducation,eventhetypesofpunishmentyourparentschosetodishout—therearestudieslinkingallthesefactorsandhundredsmoretoyoureventualsmartsasanadult.Butjustasyoucanworkhardinthegymandchangeyourdiettoovercomebadphysicalgenetics,youcanalsotrainyourbraintofarexceeditsinitialintellectualpotentialandkeepyourmindsharp.“Itmaynotbeamuscle,butyoucantrainyourbrainjustlikeyouwouldyourbicepstoperformatasignificantlyhigherlevel,”saysneuroscientistMichaelMerzenich,Ph.D.,aprofessoremeritusoftheUniversityofCaliforniaSanFrancisco,andthecreatorofbrainhq.com,asitedesignedspecificallyforgettingyourbrainintobettershape. AccordingtoMerzenich,nomatterwhatyourageorcurrentintelligencelevel,thatgraymatterinyourskullisconstantlychangingandevolving.Putalittleworkintoit,hesays,andyourIQ,visualacuity,andabilitytomanageandprocessdata(i.e.,thestuffthatmakesyou“smart”)cangrowandimproverightalongwithit.Hereare25ofthemosteffectivewaystogetyoustartedontheroadtopumped-upintelligence,allbackedbyreamsofthelatestdataandresearchprovingjusthowanaverageguycanimprovehisoverallsmarts. HowtoKeepYourMindSharp 1.HaveSex WhenPrincetonscientistsstudiedagroupofsexuallyactiveratsandcomparedthemwithratswhoweregettingitononlyacoupleoftimesamonth,theyfoundthatthemoreactiveratshadanincreasednumberofneuronsintheirbrains,especiallyintheregionsresponsibleforcontrollingmemory.Theseratsalsogrewmorecellsintheirbrainsoverthecourseofthestudy—andhadmoreconnectionsbetweenthosecells—thanthemorevirginalrats.You’reobviouslynorat,butresearchersbelievethefindingmayholdtrueinhumansaswell,thankstothelowerlevelsofstresshormonesandanxietyfoundinpeoplewhohavesexmorefrequently. 13HabitsHealthyPeopleDoEveryDay Pickingupthesesimpleeating,exercise,andlifestylegoodhabitscanchangeyourlife. Readarticle 2.PourYourselfaDrink Yes,toomuchalcoholisn’tevergoingtodoyourbody—orbrain—muchgood.Butjustasit’sbeenshowntobegoodforyourheartinsmallerdoses,alcoholalsoappearstobegoodforyourbrainwhenconsumedresponsibly.InastudyconductedattheCatholicUniversityoftheSacredHeart,inItaly,researchersfoundthat29%ofpeopleovertheageof65whorarelydrankduringthecourseoftheirlifeexperiencedsomeformofmentalimpairmentastheygotolder,comparedwithjust19%ofpeoplewhodrankmoderateamountsofalcohol. 3.AvoidSugarWheneverPossible “Whatyoueataffectshowyouthink,”saysFernandoGomez-Pinilla,Ph.D.,aprofessorofneurosurgeryatUCLA’sDavidGeffenSchoolofMedicine.“Andeatingahigh-fructosedietoverthelongtermmayalteryourbrain’sabilitytolearnandrememberinformation,”hesays.TheChileanresearcherfoundoutjusthowbadtoomanysweetscanbeforyourbrainbystudyinganimalswhoweregivenhigh-sugardietsandcomparingthemwithanimalsfedamorestandarddiet.Overtime,hesays,largeamountsofsweetsinthebraincanimpairsynapticactivity,disruptingtheabilitytothinkclearly.Insteadofsoda,candy,icecream,andbakedgoods,getyoursweetfixwith freshfruitandGreekyogurt. 4.KeepYourBloodSugarinCheck Evenifyouaren’tdiabetic,largefluctuationsininsulinlevelsinthebodycandullyourbrain’sresponsetimesandinhibitpeakperformance.SomeresearchersevenspeculatethatinsulinresistancecausedbyconsistentlyhighlevelsofinsulininthebodyovertimemaybeaprecursortoAlzheimer’sdisease.Ontheflipside,ifinsulinlevelsarelow,orthepancreasstopsproductionofthehormone,thememorymaysufferaswell:AstudyconductedatBrownUniversityfoundthatinsulin-resistantratsweremorelikelytobecomedisorientedandhavetroublefindingtheirwayoutofamaze.Twowaystokeepbloodsugarstable:Eatcarbsonthelowendoftheglycemicscale,andavoidbothskippingmealsandbingeing. TheBestFoodstoEatBeforeaWorkout Readarticle 5.PlayMoreVideoGames OrunpackthatoldXbox.Turnsoutimprovedhand–eyecoordinationisn’ttheonlyreasontoembraceyourloveofGrandTheftAutoorMadden.WhenresearchersinBelgiumdidanMRIanalysisofthebrainsof150teenagers,theyfoundthatthosewhoplayedvideogamesfrequentlyhadmorebraincellsintheleftventralstriatumoftheirbrain—theregionresponsibleforcontrollingtheinterplayofemotionsandbehavior.Thebetterdevelopedthisregionis,thebetteryourpotentialforlearningbecomes. 6.CutBackonTV Themoreyouwatch,thelessyouknow,saysa2010studypublishedintheAmericanJournalofPreventativeMedicine.Scientistsanalyzedquestionnairesfromnearly4,000people,lookingatnotjusttheiroverallintelligencelevelbutalsotheirpersonaldata,suchastheamountofTVtherespondentswatchedeachday.Notsurprisingly,thosewhowatchedTVorInternet-basedbroadcaststhemost(fourhoursormoreaday)alsohadthelowestmentalacuityscores.Compoundingtelevision’smind-roteffect,astudyfromIowaStateUniversityfoundthatstudentswhowatchedmorethantwohoursofTVadaywereuptotwiceaslikelytobediagnosedwithsomeformofattentiondisorder,suchasADHD,duetotheamountofrapid-firestimulithebrainistypicallyoverloadedwithduringtelevisionviewing. 7.HittheGymRegularly “Useitorloseit”doesn’tapplyonlytoyourmuscles.Leadinganactivelifestylehelpstokeepthetissuesinyourbraineverybitasyoungandactiveasthosethroughouttherestofyourbody.Infact,regularphysicalactivityseemstohelpsloworevenreversethebrain’sphysicaldecayovertime.ScientistsattheUniversityofIllinoishaveprovenexercise’sprowessatkeepingthebrainhealthy.Instudiesonmice,theyfoundthatregardlessofwhethertheanimalsateasuper-healthydietortraditional“boring”mousefood;hadcagesfilledwithtoysandgames;orwerekeptinastimulation-freeenvironment,theonefactormostresponsibleforimprovingtheirmemoryandperformanceincognitivetestswasarunningwheel.Micewhoranendedupsimplybeingsmarterallaroundinvirtuallyeverytest,comparedwithmicewhodidn’t.Bestofall:Theincreaseinbrainmatterwasvisibleafterjustafewweeks. 8.EatLikeaPioneer Thatmeansnaturalmeats,grains,freshfruitandproduce,andaslittleprocessedfoodaspossible.(Inotherwords,nothingwithalabelorcreatedafterabout1900.)Why?Inastudyofalmost4,000children,publishedintheJournalofEpidemiologyandCommunityHealth,researchersfoundthatkidswhoweregivena“traditional”or“health-conscious”dietconsistentlyscoredbetteronIQteststhanchildrenfedadiethighinprocessedfoods.Althoughthehumanbraingrowsatitsfastestduringthefirstthreeyearsoflife,researcherssayaclean,healthydietisjustasimportantafterthebrainisfullydeveloped. 9.OrderFish Pileyourplatehighwithsalmon,tuna,andotheroceandwellersatleastacoupleoftimesaweek.Ifyoudon’tlikefish,popadailyfish-oilsupplementinstead.Inastudyof4,000teenageboysconductedinSweden,scientistsfoundthateatingfishtwiceaweekincreasedsubjects’verbalandvisuospatialintelligencescoresbymorethan10%.Althoughtheexactmechanismbehindfishoil’sabilitytoimprovementalperformancestillisn’tknown,studyauthorKjellToren,Ph.D.,believesthebenefitmaycomefromthecombinationofimprovingbloodflowtothebrain,reducinginflammation,andboostingtheimmunesystem—allcourtesyofseafood’samplesupplyofomega3sand6s. 10.FightInflammation Itdoesn’tmatterwhetheryourbodyisbattlinginfection,toxins,orchemicals—anythingthatleavesyourtissueinflamed,whetherinsideoroutsideyourbody,mayhaveanegativeeffectonyourmentalperformance.Inastudyof50,000menages18–20,Swedishresearchersfoundthatinflammationinthebodywasconsistentlylinkedtolowerintelligencelevels.Amongthebestinflammationfighters:foodsfullofomega3sandantioxidants. 11.QuitSmoking—Today! WhenresearchersattheUniversityofMichigantestedtheIQsof172men—someofwhomsmokedregularlyandsomewhodidn’t—theyfoundthatthesmokersscoredloweronthetestsacrosstheboard.Accordingtotheirfinding,yearsoftobaccouseappearstodullmentalperformance,dimmingthespeedandaccuracyofaperson’soverallthinkingability.AmorerecentstudyconductedatTelAvivUniversityconfirmsthefinding.WhenresearcherstheremeasuredtheIQsof20,000menbetweentheagesof18and21enrolledintheIsraeliArmy,theyfoundthatguyswhosmokedmorethanapackadayaverageda90ontheirIQtests,whiletheaveragescoreforanonsmokerwas101(typicalIQscoresforhealthyadultsusuallyrangefrom84to116). 12WaystoAmpUpYourCoffee—WithoutButter Spices,milks,extracts,andmorehealthyadd-insthat'llelevateyourplain'olcupofJoe. Readarticle 12.DownSomeJava It’snotjustyourimaginationtellingyouthatcoffeemakesyouthinkmoreclearly.Itreallydoes.WhenresearchersattheNationalInstituteofEnvironmentalHealthSciencesgaveratsajoltofcaffeineequivalenttowhatahumanwouldgetfromtwocupsofcoffee,thenmeasuredtheperformanceofnervecellsinthebrain,theyfoundthatthestrengthofelectricalmessagesbeingtransmittedincreasedsignificantly.Andwhenyoursynapsesbecomestrongerandperformbetter,yourabilitytolearnandrememberalsoskyrockets. 13.GoSolo Haveatoughworkissueyou’retryingtopowerthrough?Youmaywanttogoitaloneratherthanpulltogetheragroupforabrainstormingsession.ArecentVirginiaTechstudywarnsthatcertaingroupsettings—whetherit’sacommitteemeeting,aclass,orevenacocktailparty—canaltertheexpressionofyourIQ,makingyouseemdumber(or,atleast,lessabletoprocessinformation)thanyou’dbeiflefttoyourowndevices.Thefinding,accordingtostudyauthorReadMontague,Ph.D.,showsjusthowinterwovenpsychologicaltraitslikeself-confidence,intelligence,andoutgoingnesscanbe,andhowimpossibletheymaybetoseparateforcertainindividuals. 14.StayHydrated Workingupasweatforjust90minutescandehydrateyourbodyenoughtocauseyourbraintoliterallyshrinkawayfromthesidesofyourskull—theequivalentofayearandahalf’sworthofagingandabuse.That’sthewarningfroma2009U.K.studyinwhichteensworkedoutinvaryinglevelsofsweat-inducingclothing;whentheywerethenaskedtoplayvideogamesfollowingtheworkout,brainscansshowedtheirbrainshadtoworkmuchharder,andactionsthatwouldhavebeencompletedfairlyeasilytooksignificantlymorebrainworktocomplete. 15.TakeUpSwimming Holdingyourbreathwhileworkingoutinthepoolimprovestheflowofbloodtoyourbrain.Aswithyourmuscles,themoreoxygenthosetissuesinyourcraniumget,thestrongerandhealthiertheybecome—andthebetterthey’reabletofunction. 16.BanishNegativeThoughts Believinginyourselfisn’tgoodonlyforyouroverallwell-being.Itcanalsoplayacrucialroleinhowwellyourbrainperformsindifferentsettings.WhenresearchersattheUniversityofPennsylvaniaanalyzedtherelationshipbetweentest-takers’motivationlevelandperformanceonanIQtest,theyfoundthatthosewhoscoredthebestonthetestsalsotendedtohavethemostpositiveattitudes.AsecondstudyconductedatColumbiaandStanforduniversitiessupportsthefinding.Inthistrial,researchersfoundthatteenagerswhohadthemostself-confidence—includingbelievingtheycouldsuccessfullydeveloptheirmathskills—actuallyhadthemostsuccessdoingso,consistentlyout-performingtheirpeersandimprovingtheirtestscoresthroughoutthecourseofthetwo-yearstudy. 17.LearnaNewSkill Whenyouleaveyourcomfortzoneanddosomethingnew,yourbraincreatesnewneurons(that’sagoodthing).Itdoesn’tmatterwhatnewskillyoudecidetotakeup—speakingaforeignlanguage,painting,carpentry—anytimeyou’relearningonething,yourbrainisbecomingbetteratlearningeverything.Needproof?WhenresearchersatMcGillUniversity,inMontreal,enrolledagroupof30menandwomenintangolessonsandtestedtheircognitivefunctionsregularly,theyfoundthatafter10weeksofclasses,justlearninganewdancehadalsohelpedtheindividualsscorebetteronmemorytestsandgetbetteratmultitasking. 18.GetUpandMove Justwalkingmorecanampupyourbrainpower,accordingtoresearchfundedbytheNationalInstitutesofHealth.Inthestudy,sedentarymenandwomenwereencouragedtowalkfor40minutesthreetimesaweek.Oneyearlater,almostallparticipantsinthestudyperformedbetteronmemoryandintelligencetests,dueprimarilytoimprovedconnectivitybetweencellsinthebrainandnervoussystem. HowtoBeMoreEfficientWithYourTimeandEnergy Readarticle 19.BeMoreMusical Whetheryou’relisteningtomusicorplayingit,agoodsongexpandsyourpotentialforlearning.Numerousstudiesshowthatmasteringamusicalinstrumentchangestheanatomyofthebrainandrewiresyourcellstothinkfasterandmoreaccurately.Althoughtheeffectislesspronouncedwhenyou’rejustlistening,it’sstillthere.AclassicUCIrvinestudyconductedinthe1990sfoundthattheIQsofundergradssoared(temporarily)afterlisteningtoMozart.ThestudyledtoabestsellingseriesofbookscalledTheMozartEffect. 20.PracticeMemorizingThings Thinkofitasapre-workoutwarm-upforyourbrain.Picksomethingneweachday—acellphonenumber,asonglyric,anewvocabularyword,afavoritequote—andtrycommittingittomemory,quizzingyourselfeveryfewhourstoseehowwellyou’rerememberingit.“Itmaysoundlikeawasteoftime,butit’sanincrediblyusefulexercise,”saysMariePasinski,M.D.,aHarvardneurologistandauthorofChickenSoupfortheSoul:BoostyourBrainPower.“Inthedigitalage,we’vecededsomuchmemorytoourphonesandcomputers.Butrememberingthingsisaskilllikeanyother—itrequiresmaintenance.” 21.GetMoreSleep Yourbrainisn’tjustfresheraftereightfullhoursofsleep.Italsohasmorelearningpotential,andperformsbetterthanwhenit’ssleepdeprived.Howmuchdifferencedoesadequatesleepmake?WhenGermanresearchersattheUniversityofLuebeckgaveagroupofmenandwomenbetweentheagesof18and32aseriesofcomplexmathproblemstosolve,theyfoundthatwell-restedindividualswerethreetimesmorelikelytofigureouttheruleforsolvingtheequationsthanthosewhoweren’tgettingenoughsleep.Andthebenefitsdon’tendthere.ResearchfromtheUniversityofNotreDamefoundthatpeoplewhogetenoughsleeparealsobetterabletoremembervisualcuesandprocessemotionalinformationthanmenandwomenwhoskimponpillowtime. 22.TakeaMulti Thekeynutrientstomakesureyou’regettingenoughofincludevitaminsB,C,D,andE.InastudypublishedinthejournalNeurology,researchersatOregonHealth&ScienceUniversitymeasuredvitaminlevelsinthebloodof104adultsandthencomparedtheirscoresondifferentcognitivetests,aswellasMRIbrainscans.Thehealthierthesubjects’dietswere—andthemoreofthesekeyvitaminstheyhadintheirblood—thebiggertheirbrainswere,andthebettertheyperformedoveralloneachmentaltesttheyweregiven. 23.De-Stress Whateverformyourrelaxationtakes,itwillultimatelyhelpyoutobesmarterinthelongrun,saysPasinski.WhenUniversityofOregonresearcherstaughtagroupofroughly100studentsatypeofstress-bustingmeditation,theyfoundthatwithinjusttwoweeks,studyparticipantsshowedimprovedneuralsignalingwithinthebrain,andafteramonththeyfoundenhancedconnectionsbetweenbraincells—twooftheprimaryfactorsresponsibleforbetterlearning. 24.WidenYourSocialCircle “Interactingwithpeoplechallengesyourmemory,andforcesyourbraintostaynimbleandgrow,”saysPasinski.Itmaynotevenmatterwhetheryournewfriendsarerealorvirtual:WhenpsychologistsatUniversityCollegeLondonanalyzedbrainscansfrom125collegeagestudentsandthenlookedattheirFacebookaccounts,theyfoundthatthestudentswiththemostfriendsalsohadsignificantlylargerbrains,especiallyintheareasassociatedwithmemoryandemotionalresponse. 25.ConsideranHGHSupplement Humangrowthhormoneisanaturallyoccurringsubstancethathelpsyourbodytodevelop.Butaftertheageof30,levelsstarttoplummet.Additionaldoses—intheformofinjectionsorsupplements—maybeasolutionforkeepingyourbodyandbraingoingstrongwellintooldage.InastudyconductedattheUniversityofWashington,researchersfoundthatcognitiveabilityimproved5–7%inpeopletakingHGHsupplements,comparedtothosetakingaplacebo. 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