Genius Status: 4 Uncommon Ways To Give Your Brainpower A Boost
No one wants to be dumb, and they most certainly don't want to develop a life-altering brain condition at an early age or any age for that matter. However, without taking a few steps to prevent that from happening, you are essentially allowing your brainpower to decline. Here are four unusual ways that can boost your brainpower and have you ready to tackle the world:
1. Play a Round of Golf (Unless You're a Pro Already).
According to Mindful.org, increasing gray matter can help improve the efficiency of your brain and its ability to process information. In order to increase gray matter, you need to do something that stimulates the section of the brain that controls motor learning, like learning a new skill. Golf is a physical activity that provides you daily exercise, while also giving you a new skill to learn to help increase that gray matter. And, don't worry, you don't have to play in a controlled environment in order to reap the brainpower benefits.
2. Bring Out Your Inner Kindergartener and Doodle on Pages.
From Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan to Bill Gates and Ralph Waldo Emerson, there are tons of people who have drawn pictures of various things. Everyone doodles at some point, even though it is usually in elementary. However, if you're looking to give your brain a boost of power, it may be time to break out the pencils and paper again. Research suggests that doodling may help you concentrate more and improve your memory. In fact, research shows that individuals who doodled while listening to a tape remembered nearly 30 percent more of the information than the individuals who were only listening and not doodling.
3. Maintain Healthy, Positive Relationships.
Whether it is your family members, co-workers or friends, maintaining a good, solid relationship with them can help protect your brain from cognitive decline, specifically memory loss. One study tested this theory on elderly adults, who ended up seeing a delay in memory loss thanks to positive social integration. If your family has a history of dementia, this is particularly important because memory loss is one of the main risk factors for the disease.
4. Pop Out the Video Games.
You may think that those teenagers and college kids are crazy for constantly playing video games. However, they may actually turn out to be smarter than everyone else. Some research suggests that engaging in action video games can actually help improve a wide range of cognitive skills, including spatial cognition, multi-tasking and vision. Compared to non-gamers, gamers were able to perform better on exams that tested their speed, accuracy and attention span.
Just because early cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, dementia and other brain-related conditions run in your family, it doesn't mean that you have to become a victim to these issues. By stimulating your brain on a regular basis, you can improve its function, efficiency and strength, while gaining some extra brainpower as well. For more information about improving your brain or to be tested for brain conditions, consult with your physician like one from Allegheny Brain And Spine Surgeons.
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