22条途径超频你的大脑.docx

1、22条途径超频你的大脑22条途径超频你的大脑“I just found out that the brain is like a computer. If thats true, then there really arent any stupid people. Just people running DOS.” The brain is a three-pound supercomputer. It is the command and control center running your life. It is involved in absolutely everything you

2、 do. Your brain determines how you think, how you feel, how you act, and how well you get along with other people. Your brain even determines the kind of person you are. It determines how thoughtful you are; how polite or how rude you are. It determines how well you think on your feet, and it is inv

3、olved with how well you do at work and with your family. Your brain also influences your emotional well being and how well you do with the opposite sex.Your brain is more complicated than any computer we can imagine. Did you know that you have one hundred billion nerve cells in your brain, and every

4、 nerve cell has many connections to other nerve cells? In fact, your brain has more connections in it than there are stars in the universe! Optimizing your brains function is essential to being the best you can be, whether at work, in leisure, or in your relationships.Its simple, your brain is at th

5、e center of everything you do, all you feel and think, and every nuance of how you relate to people. Its both the supercomputer that runs your complex life and the tender organ that houses your soul. And while you may run, lift weights, or do yoga to keep your body in good condition, chances are you

6、 ignore your brain and trust it to do its job.No matter what your age, mental exercise has a global, positive effect on the brain. So, here are 22 ways to boost your brain power:1. Run up your brain cells.Research suggests that people who get plenty of physical exercise can wind up with better brain

7、s. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., found that adult mice who ran on an exercise wheel whenever they felt like it gained twice as many new cells in the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in learning and memory, than mice who sat around all day disc

8、ussing Lord of the Rings in Internet chat rooms. The researchers werent sure why the more active rodents brains reacted the way they did, but its possible that the voluntary nature of the exercise made it less stressful and therefore more beneficial. Which could mean that finding ways to enjoy exerc

9、ise, rather than just forcing yourself to do it, may make you smarter - and happier, too.So, play a sport, train for an event such as a marathon, triathlon or “fun run,” or work out with a buddy to help keep things interesting.2. Exercise your mind.It isnt just physical exercise that gets those brai

10、n cells jumping. Just like those head-pumped cabbies and piano jockeys, you can build up various areas of your brain by putting them to work. Duke University neurobiology professor Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D., co-author of Keep Your Brain Alive, says that finding simple ways to use aspects of your brain

11、 that may be lagging could help maintain both nerve cells and dendrites, branches on the cells that receive and process information. Just as a new weightlifting exercise builds up underused muscles, Katz says that novel ways of thinking and viewing the world can improve the functioning of inactive s

12、ections of the brain.Experience new tastes and smells; try to do things with your nondominant hand; find new ways to drive to work; travel to new places; create art; read that Dostoyevsky novel; write a buddy comedy for Ted Kennedy and Rush Limbaugh - basically, do anything you can to force yourself

13、 out of your mental ruts.3. Ask why.Our brains are wired to be curious. As we grow up and “mature” many of us stifle or deny our natural curiosity. Let yourself be curious! Wonder to yourself about why things are happening. Ask someone in the know. The best way to exercise our curiosity is by asking

14、 “Why?” Make it a new habit to ask “why?” at least 10 times a day. Your brain will be happier and you will be amazed at how many opportunities and solutions will show up in your life and work.4. Laugh.Scientists tell us that laughter is good for our health; that it releases endorphins and other posi

15、tively powerful chemicals into our system. We dont really need scientists to tell us that it feels good to laugh. Laughing helps us reduce stress and break old patterns too. So laughter can be like a “quick-charge” for our brains batteries. Laugh more, and laugh harder.5. Be a fish head.Omega-3 oils

16、, found in walnuts, flaxseed and especially fish, have long been touted as being healthy for the heart. But recent research suggests theyre a brain booster as well, and not just because they help the circulation system that pumps oxygen to your head. They also seem to improve the function of the mem

17、branes that surround brain cells, which may be why people who consume a lot of fish are less likely to suffer depression, dementia, even attention-deficit disorder. Scientists have noted that essential fatty acids are necessary for proper brain development in children, and theyre now being added to

18、baby formulas. Its possible that your own mental state, and even your intelligence, can be enhanced by consuming enough of these oils.Eating at least three servings a week of fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna is a good start.6. Remember.Get out an old photo album or high school yearbo

19、ok. Your brain is a memory machine, so give it a chance to work! Spend time with your memories. Let your mind reflect on them and your mind will repay you in positive emotions and new connections from the memories to help you with your current tasks and challenges.7. Cut the fat.Can “bad” fats make

20、you dumb? When researchers at the University of Toronto put rats on a 40-percent-fat diet, the rats lost ground in several areas of mental function, including memory, spatial awareness and rule learning. The problems became worse with a diet high in saturated fats, the kind thats abundant in meat an

21、d dairy products. While you may never be called upon to navigate a little maze in search of a cheddar cube, these results could hold true for you as well, for two reasons: Fat can reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your brain, and it may also slow down the metabolism of glucose, the form of sug

22、ar the brain utilizes as food.You can still get up to 30 percent of your daily calories in the form of fat, but most of it should come from the aforementioned fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds. Whatever you do, stay away from trans fats, the hardened oils that are abundant in crackers and snack foods.

23、8. Do a puzzle.Some of us like jigsaw puzzles, some crossword puzzles, some logic puzzles - it really doesnt matter kind you choose to do. Doing puzzles in your free time is a great way to activate your brain and keep it in good working condition. Do the puzzle for fun, but do it knowing you are exe

24、rcising your brain.9. The “Mozart Effect.”A decade ago Frances Rauscher, a psychologist now at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and her colleagues made waves with the discovery that listening to Mozart improved peoples mathematical and spatial reasoning. Even rats ran mazes faster and more ac

25、curately after hearing Mozart than after white noise or music by the minimalist composer Philip Glass. Last year, Rauscher reported that, for rats at least, a Mozart piano sonata seems to stimulate activity in three genes involved in nerve-cell signalling in the brain.This sounds like the most harmo

26、nious way to tune up your mental faculties. But before you grab the CDs, hear this note of caution. Not everyone who has looked for the Mozart effect has found it. Whats more, even its proponents tend to think that music boosts brain power simply because it makes listeners feel better - relaxed and

27、stimulated at the same time - and that a comparable stimulus might do just as well. In fact, one study found that listening to a story gave a similar performance boost.10. Improve your skill at things you already do.Some repetitive mental stimulation is ok as long as you look to expand your skills a

28、nd knowledge base. Common activities such as gardening, sewing, playing bridge, reading, painting, and doing crossword puzzles have value, but push yourself to do different gardening techniques, more complex sewing patterns, play bridge against more talented players to increase your skill, read new

29、authors on varied subjects, learn a new painting technique, and work harder crossword puzzles. Pushing your brain to new heights help to keep it healthy. 11. Be a thinker, not a drinker.The idea that alcohol kills brain cells is an old one, but the reality is a bit more complicated. In fact, a study

30、 of 3,500 Japanese men found that those who drank moderately (in this case, about one drink per day) had better cognitive functioning when they got older than those who didnt drink at all. Unfortunately, as soon as you get beyond that “moderate” amount, your memory, reaction time is all likely to de

31、cline. In the same study, men who had four or more drinks a day fared worst of all.Just as bad is the now common practice of “binge drinking,” otherwise known as getting hammered on the weekend. Research on rats found that those who consumed large amounts of alcohol had fewer new cells in their brai

32、ns hippocampus region immediately after the binge, and virtually none a month later. This suggests that the alcohol not only damaged the rats brains, but kept them from repairing themselves later on - in human terms, that means you shouldnt expect to pass the Mensa entrance exam any time soon.12. Pl

33、ay.Take time to play. Make time to play. Play cards. Play video games. Play board games. Play Ring Around the Rosie. Play tug of war. It doesnt matter what you play. Just play! It is good for your spirit and good for your brain. It gives your brain a chance to think strategically, and keeps it working.13