Simple ways to train your brain

Simple ways to train your brain

 

The brain is the human body's operations centre. It controls everything from our taste in food to our ability to tie our shoelaces. And with most of us living longer than ever and cases of Alzheimer's set to rise to a million by 2025 it's never been more important to keep it your grey matter in tip-top shape. Physical and mental exercises are believed to be the best ways to do that.

Professor Alan Gow, a psychologist from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, says, “One study I worked on found people who were more physically active had less brain shrinkage, fewer white matter lesions -damage to the wiring of the brain -and higher volumes of grey matter.“ And Catherine Loveday, expert in memory and ageing at the University of Westminster, adds, “There is evidence that exercise does more than just keep you healthy -it promotes brain connectivity and the growth of new brain cells, or neurons.“

But it's not just jogging and crosswords that can slow decay .Researchers have uncovered a wide range of simple activities that can boost creativity , sharpen concentration and improve learning skills.Follow our guide to the simple ways to keep your brain cells in shape...

WIGGLE YOUR EYES 

Wiggling your eyes from side-toside for 30 seconds could be the key to boosting concentration. That's because the left and right sides of the brain perform different functions and improving communication between them can bolster mental performance. Scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University got volunteers to listen to recordings of words then either wiggle their eyes horizontally for 30 seconds, vertically for 30 seconds, or just stare ahead. The horizontal movement group recalled more words than the other two.

STARE OUT OF THE WINDOW 

Everyone else might think you are daydreaming, but staring into the distance can actually improve concentration. That's because the brain thinks more clearly about new subjects when it is not distracted by visual stimulation, such as a computer screen. In a study experts at Stirling University got 10 schoolkids to look away when pondering tough maths questions and 10 to look at the teacher or computer screen. The results showed the `daydreamers' got 72% right and those `paying attention' just 55%.Researcher Professor Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon said, “The difference was especially evident on the difficult questions.“

GO ABROAD Travel is supposed to broaden the mind. But according to psycholo gists at Northwestern University in the US, it can also make it work better. They gave a series of tests, designed to check the brain's capacity for creative thinking, to a group of students who had lived abroad and another group who had not. The results showed those who had spent time studying overseas performed much better, possibly because moving to a strange country involves a major psychological transformation that helps to expand the mind. But psychologists stress travel only bolsters the brain if the person embraces their new foreign culture just as much as their home one.

DON'T BRAINSTORM

Bosses may love it, but research shows brainstorming actually slows the brain down when it comes to thrashing out ideas.Instead, people are more likely to come up with innovative and fresh ideas on their own, rather than in a group. Researchers at Texas A&M University found it blocks the thought process that makes us creative and we end up just backing other people's ideas. Psychologist Dr Nicholas Kohn, who carried out the research said, “It can lead you to suggest ideas that mimic your brainstorming partners.“As far back as the late 1950s, psychologists noticed that students working alone had twice as many solutions to problems as those in a group.

PAINT WALLS RED OR BLUE

The brain is highly susceptible to its surroundings. And that includes colour. Scientists at the University of British Columbia tested the brain function of 600 volunteers to see if it differed according to the colours they were exposed to at the time. Researcher Juliet Zhu explained, “If you're talking about wanting enhanced memory for something like proofreading skills, then a red colour should be used. But for a solution to fight obesity or smoking you should be in a blue room.“

GET A DECENT NIGHT'S SLEEP

A good sleep triggers changes in the brain that help to improve memory . The findings, by experts at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in the US, came from MRI scans on volunteers' brains to see which parts are activated after a good night's rest.Sleep helps new memories to `stick' in the brain -a process scientists call memory consolidation. This happens when connections between brain cells are strengthened by proper rest. Researchers said, “When you are asleep, it seems as if you are shifting memory to more efficient storage regions. When you wake, memory tasks can be performed more quickly .“

PEEK AT THE TREES

Just taking an occasional view of trees or grass can have a powerful effect on the brain's ability to concentrate. A study at the University of Melbourne found that after looking at a green space for a few minutes, students performed much better in boring tasks -where they had to press a computer keyboard every time a number flashed up, except for when it was the number three. The green space in question was simply a nearby garden roof. Others who were told to look at a boring grey, concrete roof, performed less well in the attention-sapping task.Researcher Dr Kate Lee said, “Looking at an image of nature for less than a minute was all it took to help people perform better.“

KEEP FIDGETING

While most people think it reflects an inability to concentrate, fidgeting helps your brain to learn.Psychologists at the University of Hertfordshire found this out when they compared children who played with their hands in class and those who sat still. Being able to fidget meant they were better able to find the correct answer to a question -especially if it involved recalling a word that was on the tip of their tongue. Psychologist Karen Pine explained, “Far from restricting children from moving their hands, if teachers encouraged more fidgeting in class they might find children actually learn more.“ Experts believe fidgeting and gesturing help the brain to retrieve the right words and also aid with recall. 

LOOK AT CUTE PICTURES 

Looking at cute images of baby animals doesn't just make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, it can also help the brain to concentrate. Researchers at Hiroshima University in Japan split 132 students into three groups and gave each one tasks such as playing the game Operation -where body parts are removed without making contact with a livewire -or finding a number in a random sequence. After one attempt, they spent several minutes looking at cute pictures of kittens or puppies and did it again. Performance scores improved by an average of 44%. 

Source | Times of India | 5 January 2016