Honeysuckle.
7 Hobbies Science
Says Will Make Your Brain Works Smarter And Faster
Andy Preisler
All parts of our body age.
And our brain does too. We’ve all witnessed the natural deterioration
of brain functions in older
relatives. Unfortunately, they lose their short-term memories and they
gradually lose the executive functions, as the right frontal lobe loses gray
matter and gets “mushy.” Even without the dreaded Alzheimer’s, our brains just
age. Now; however, neuroscience tells us that we can delay this process. In some
instances, we can reverse brain deterioration by engaging
in some pretty specific
activities, most of which we would consider hobbies. Here are 7 of them.
1. Read Anything
Whether you love old classic
comic books or the New York Times, brain researchers tell us
that reading actually increases brain function in several areas. It
stimulates the growth of new neural pathways as we absorb new information.
Reading flexes those parts of the brain that deal with problem-solving, seeing
patterns, and interpreting what others are saying to us about their feelings.
It also improves memory, builds on prior learning (more neural connections),
and exercises parts of the brain that allow imagination. Some research also
points to speedreading as a method to increase synapses (electrical connections
between regions of the brain), since the brains must process sensory
information quickly. Indeed, for many students, speedreading is a valuable
skill.
2. Learn to Play a Musical Instrument
For years, neuro-scientists
have conducted research on the benefits of music instruction
for children relative to
improved cognitive functions – memory, problem-solving, sequential processing,
and pattern recognition. Playing an instrument (the voice is also an
instrument), increases gray matter volume and makes neural connections between
the two hemispheres
of the brain. For this
reason, scientists believe that early musical training allows students
to be better at both linear
math work (algorithms, equation solving) and mathematical problem-solving
(modeling, optimization, problem research).
Playing an instrument ensures
both sides of the brain work together much better.
Now, researchers tell us that
taking up a musical instrument as an adult – young, middle-aged,
or older – can produce the same
neurological effects as it does in children.
3. Exercise on a Regular Basis
Here’s what the science
tells us. Exercise produces a protein (BDNF) in the blood stream.
As blood travels through the
brain, cells absorb this protein, which is responsible for both increased
memory and focus. One of the most notable experiments was a photo memory test
given
to experimental and control
groups. The experimental group exercised before the test, while the control
group did not. The experimental group’s test results were overwhelmingly
better.
Members were able to focus on the photos and
then recall them after a period of waiting.
4. Learn a New Language
Several areas of the brain
are used as we take in sound, give it meaning, and then respond to it –
4 areas in all. Bilingual
people have more gray matter in their language centers.
They can focus on more than
one task at a time because parts of the brain that relate to reasoning,
planning, and memory are more developed. Again, scientists began to study this
in children first, looking at those in whose households a foreign language was
spoken, but in whose schools only English was spoken. Being forced to take in
sounds from two different languages and “sort out” which language was being
heard forced these areas of the brain into greater functioning.
Now, it is also known that
learning a language at any stage in one’s life has the same forceful effect on
the brain making it smarter.
5. Engage in Cumulative Learning
Cumulative learning is
defined as that process by which we take what we already know and layer new
information of the same type on top of that. For example, math is cumulative
learning.
Children first learn basic functions. Then they learn how to use
those basic functions to
solve word problems. Next, they
learn algebra, using basic functions to solve equations. Every layer goes
on top of what was learned before. As we age, and especially as we leave the
workforce,
we tend to cease cumulative learning activities.
However, research says if we continue to engage in them we sharpen memory,
sequential ordering, problem solving (executive functioning of right frontal
lobe), and language. Maybe we should all take a math or writing class in our
senior years!
6. Exercise Your Brain with Puzzles and Games
We need to think of our
brains as both computers and muscles. The more information we put into our
brains, the more functions they can perform. Likewise, the more we exercise our
brains,
the stronger they function.
Brain plasticity is a term that is used to refer to the continually
new connections that are made
when we take in information, engage in thinking,
and force ourselves to
remember things. Crossword puzzles, deductive thinking activities,
and strategic games such as
chess or even some video games,
force our brains to take in
new information and make new connections.
7. Meditate / Practice Yoga
Meditation is no longer
something that can be thought of as “that thing that Hindu and Buddhist monks
do.” What research says about meditation is actually pretty astounding.
First, it allows better control of one’s thinking when not in a meditative
state. This control allows focus, concentration,
and better memory. In fact,
students who meditate do better on tests,
and adults who meditate have
better memories. Meditation increases gray matter in areas
of the brain that control
learning and memory. Senior citizens who meditate keep more gray matter than
those who do not. For students with behavior problems in school, meditation has
been shown to improve behavior and school attendance because it reduces stress
and anxiety.
It would appear that
meditation is a great thing for all ages.
All of these hobbies are
things that we can easily incorporate into our daily lives.
Given what science now tells
us, they will keep our brains wonderfully healthy.
http://www.lifehack.org/310667/7-hobbies-science-says-will-make-your-brain-works-smarter-and-faster
Turbo Charged Reading: Read fast>>>Remember
all>>>Years later
Contact
M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com
You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that
are spontaneously accessed.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20
times faster and remember what I’ve read.
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
How
to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?
Perhaps
you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com
gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com which takes advantage of the experience
and expertise of others.
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com just for fun.
To
quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will
know.
The
more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”
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Your opinions, experience and questions are welcome. M'reen