Ways to make your brain work 100%. If you want to make the most of your brain power, follow these tips:
Go in for sports. It is believed that with more physical exertion, a person develops the brain better. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Research, California, found that mice running in a spinning wheel have twice the number of cells in the region of the brain that is responsible for learning and memory.
Why is the intelligence of the more active rodents better? Voluntary physical activity is less difficult and therefore more beneficial. This means that by enjoying sports, you become smarter and happier.
Watch your posture. Your posture affects your thought process. Check it out for yourself. Try to solve any math problem in your head while sitting incorrectly and looking at the floor. Then try to do the same just while sitting with your back straight, looking up or straight in front of you. You will notice that it is easier to think in the second option after all.
Monitor your circulation. Poor circulation prevents a person from fully concentrating. If you are in the same position for a long time, try to stretch your legs for at least 1-2 minutes. This will allow blood circulation to be restored.
Train your thinking. Exercise is not the only thing that matters. You can develop different areas of your brain by making them work. Prof Katz says that thinking and analyzing the world around us can improve the functioning of dormant parts of the brain. Try new tastes and smells. Try doing something with your left hand (if you're right-handed, and vice versa). Travel to new places. Make art. Read Dostoevsky's novel.
Ask “Why? Our brains are prone to curiosity. Let yourself be curious as well. The best way to develop curiosity is to ask the question “Why?” All the time. Make it a new habit (at least 10 times a day). You will be amazed at how many opportunities will open up for you in life and work.
Get rid of negative thoughts that are visiting your brain. The thoughts that come to you are of great importance for the functioning of your brain. Research by Mark George and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health has shown that happy, optimistic thoughts have a calming effect on our brains, while negative thoughts lead to depression and anxiety.
Laugh more. Scientists say laughter is good for our health. During this process, endorphins are released, and this helps us release tension. Thus, laughter can energize our brain.
Develop your memory. The brain is a memory machine. Take an old photo album or school diary. Spend time with your memories. Let your mind reflect, remember. Positive emotions from memories can help you cope with problems.
Take a rest... Always take breaks while working. This will help relieve the tension that comes from sitting in one place for too long. Resting for just 10-15 minutes every hour can increase your working capacity. Taking a short rest will help your brain relax and keep your thoughts in order.
Talk to an imaginary friend... By talking and receiving advice from an imaginary interlocutor, you are able to open access to information located on a subconscious level. Imagine that you are talking to someone who is competent enough in the area you need.
Solve the riddle. Some of us love mosaics, some crosswords, and some like logic puzzles. All this is very good way energize your brain and keep it active. Solve the riddle for fun, but as you do it, know that you are training your brain.
Mozart effect. A decade ago, psychologist Francis Rocher and his colleagues made a discovery. It turns out that listening to music by Mozart improves people's mathematical thinking. Even the rats traversed the mazes faster and more accurately after listening to Mozart than after the noise or music of the minimalist composer Philip Glass. Last year, Rocher said that for rats, Mozart's sonata stimulates the activity of three genes associated with cells that transmit signals to the brain. This is the most harmonious way to improve your mental performance. But before you grab the CDs, be aware that not everyone who aspires to the Mozart Effect gets it. In addition, even his supporters are inclined to believe that music enhances the ability of the brain, because it makes listeners feel better. There is both relaxation and stimulation of the body.
Improve your skills. Routine activities such as sewing, reading, drawing, and doing crossword puzzles are important. Push yourself to do it all in new ways to improve your skills. Read new books, learn new ways to draw, solve more difficult crosswords. Achieving better results will help your brain to be healthy.
Cut back on alcohol. It has been proven that alcohol not only damages mental abilities, but also interferes with their recovery.
Play. If you have free time, play it. Take time to play. Play cards, video games, board games... It doesn't matter what you play. The game will improve your mood and brain function. This will teach your brain to think strategically.
Sleep with a pen and paper. Viewing key information before bed will improve its memorization by 20-30%. You can keep a reading book by the bedside before bed if it doesn't tire you out. And be sure to keep a pen with a notepad next to your bed. If any obsessive thought appears, it will not let you fall asleep until you “redirect” it to paper.
Concentration. Concentration can improve brain function. But concentration thieves are not always visible. Learn to notice when you are distracted.
If you were supposed to call, for example, then this thought can get in the way all morning, undermining your clarity of thought. You may not even be aware that this thought is getting in your way. Get in the habit of thinking and asking yourself: "What thoughts are spinning in my head right now?" In our example, a phone call could be redirected to your to-do list. It can get rid of that thought and help you think more clearly.
Love for the brain. In a series of studies by Dr. Cutler and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and later at Stanford University, it was found that regular sexual intercourse had a beneficial effect on women. Sexual contact at least once a week resulted in regular menstrual cycles, shorter periods, delayed menopause, increased estrogen levels, and slowed down the aging process. Increasing estrogen levels through more sex helps improve brain function. In Dr. Cutler's study, having an orgasm was not so important. Intimacy and emotional connection were the most influential factors.
Play with passion. When people learn and create in their lives, they give 127% more to their work. Admire yourself and delight the world. Remember what you loved to do as a child and do it as an adult. This is the key to your genius. Da Vinci, Edison, Einstein, Picasso - they all loved to play and explore.
Cycles of consciousness. Determine the time when your consciousness is most active. If you define this time, you will be able to do the most important tasks at that time.
Learn something new. This may seem obvious. Surely you have a topic that interests you the most. It doesn't matter if it's work or leisure. If you do not have such a topic, then try to learn the meaning of a new word every day. There is a great correlation between vocabulary and your intelligence. When we have vocabulary is constantly replenished with new words, then our intellect can work in a different way. Work while learning!
Write. Keeping a personal diary is very useful, first of all for you. This is a very good brain stimulation. Taking notes can empower your brain. Find ways to write so others can read you. These can be stories from your childhood that your friends might be interested in. Start a blog so others can read you.
Share your thoughts. When you teach the other person something, you’re even better assimilating what you already knew. In addition, you must always engage in self-education. Don't be afraid to take on something new. Even if you have already received an education, you should still train your skills. Once you have absorbed new information, it is very important to learn how to use it.
Aromatherapy to activate the brain. Fragrances can be used to tone up or relax. Energizers include mint, cypress and lemon. For relaxation, you need geranium and rose. A few drops of oils in your bathtub or spray bottle will do the trick. You can also use a handkerchief - a couple of drops will suffice. Make sure you are not allergic to this oil first.
Drugs to activate the brain. Coffee and other caffeinated beverages help students score higher on tests. But the coffee won't last long.
Instead of coffee breaks, try Gingko Biloba tea. It will improve blood flow to the brain and improve concentration.
Surround yourself with inspirations. Connect with people who inspire you. Read magazines on various topics... Unlock new opportunities. Find new solutions to problems. No matter how old you are or what you do, your brain just needs a load. These can be logic puzzles, memorizing Shakespeare, or learning a new language. Get your brain to work hard if you don't want it to rust like a junkyard car. (With active mental activity, you should not abuse coffee. As a diuretic, it dehydrates the body, leading to increased irritability. It is better to drink a cup of green tea.)
Set up your space for mental work. Cluttered rooms and offices can interfere with the thinking process. If you have too often stress, fatigue, depression, then perhaps the reason for this is the environment in which you are. Take this as a signal to action. Create a more harmonious and comfortable workplace.
Learn the rules first. Always start by learning the basics. In any business or undertaking there are a number of rules, violation of which or ignoring can lead to sad consequences or the emergence of depression, disappointment. For example: learning a new language should be done with grammar, spelling and sentence writing. People should follow this rule regardless of age and religion.
Make boring fun. Try to develop interest: the more interested you are in something, the easier it is to pay attention to it. After all, we have a tendency to remember what we liked. So look for ways to make something boring fun by associating it with what you already know. For example, if you need to memorize a list, try to make a sentence from the first letters of each word, or arrange the words into groups. You can also use your imagination and create a funny story about the topic to make the memorization process easier.
Limit yourself. You need to structure your life. By limiting yourself, setting a time frame for doing something, reducing the number of items you work with, you can often achieve more results in less time.
Study more efficiently. When you decide to learn something, write your notes first. Take short breaks as you study. Information is better remembered when you are just starting or finishing teaching.
Refresh your mind with meditation. When most people think of meditation, they imagine deep relaxation. But this ancient practice can not only pacify your soul, but also improve your memory. According to a University of Kentucky study, those who meditated for only 30 minutes after lunch did test tasks better than those who dozed during this time.
Deep breathing for clearer thinking. Even deep breathing has many beneficial effects on the body. The more oxygen in the blood, the more it is in the brain. Taking a few deep breaths can also help you relax, which in turn can lead to clearer thinking.
Develop your imagination. Draw shapes in your mind and imagine different situations.
Monitor your sleep. Sleep plays an important role in a person's physical condition and intellectual development. It has been proven that sleep deprivation affects memory, and failures are possible. Scientists have found that even creativity and problem-solving ability depend on the quality of sleep.
"Subtlety is as necessary for the mind as grace for the body."
Helvetius K.
It is well known that a person uses the capabilities of his brain on average by 10-15%. The modern lifestyle does not contribute to the development of thinking and the activation of mental activity. Is it possible to regain clarity of mind and sobriety of thought? How to make the brain work?
It turns out that by bringing a few simple things into your life, you can significantly increase efficiency, improve memory and intelligence, develop creative and logical thinking, and enhance concentration. Let's take a look at 11 ways to activate thinking and improve brain performance, improve memory and develop your intelligence.
Listen to classical music
And also read the books of great writers. It is no secret that the development of mental activity allows the comprehension and study of new things. The brain is not a muscle, but it lends itself to training just as well. It is important to understand that you need to choose food for your mind with the same responsibility as you choose food for your family in the store, so as not to clog your mind with unnecessary information.
Classical music and works of art, studying history and painting are the best exercises for the mind! Do not neglect reading literary works from school and university programs: they are not in vain on this list.
Classical music deserves special attention. There is even such a phenomenon as the Mozart effect: numerous studies have shown that sound frequencies in the music of this composer have a positive effect on the body and cognitive processes. This also applies to other classical works: by relaxing the nervous system, providing you with positive emotions, musical compositions have a direct impact on mental activity.
Acquire new and improve existing skills
Besides comprehending cultural heritage of humanity and its history, you can make your brain work better by trying new things. Try "hand made", that is, create with your own hands. This will help in self-development. Now it is also fashionable and salable. Try your hand at knitting, sewing and sculpting, drawing and felting, weaving and cutting. And you will definitely discover the secret within yourself.
Having found it, do not rush to stop: improve the acquired skill and try yourself in new directions, even if something does not work out: overcoming yourself and comprehending what you did not succeed the first time, you will get more benefit for your brain. It's great if you know how to play a musical instrument: play more often, learn new compositions, and try to learn how to play something else.
You can hone your skills not only in creativity, do the most common tasks and tasks better and in a new way: cook dishes uncharacteristic for your kitchen, offer innovative solutions at work, teach your children new things.
Train your memory
Look through old photos, forcing your brain to recall pleasant moments in detail. Be observant: try, for example, to describe all the passengers on the bus you just got off, paying particular attention to the little things and minor nuances. After just a week of such exercises, you will notice how much the task has been simplified and your memory, intelligence and observation have improved.
Learn and write poems
It is very convenient to do this with your child. Moreover, you can play educational games with children, useful not only for them, but also for you. Lay out on the table the small objects that first came to hand (TV remote control, pen, hairpin, etc.), and ask the child to remember them, and then discreetly remove one thing: your child must name the missing object. Then switch roles: now let the child hide toys and pens from you. The task can be complicated by swapping objects and asking them to arrange them in the same order, or by increasing the number of common and hidden elements.
Another useful game for your family can be cards: draw or print paired images, cut them so that you get a stack of pictures, each of which has a pair. After that, lay the pictures on the table and give the household time to memorize, then turn the pictures upside down. By the way, you can use the usual playing cards... Start looking for pairs in turn, by the number of found you can single out the winner, encouraging him with a pleasant trifle.
Get enough sleep
Sleep is the most important stage in the formation of intelligence. It is during this time that the brain is able to solve tasks that it cannot cope with during wakefulness, using the departments hidden from consciousness and drawing information from the depths of the subconscious. A striking example of this is the table of chemical elements dreamed of by Mendeleev. There are much more such cases in science than we know, and you, too, most likely noticed that sometimes it is at night that the best ideas or ways of getting out of situations over which you puzzled during the day come up.
In addition, the number of connections between neurons responsible for the mental state of a person, his ability to control himself, learning and memory, increases precisely during sleep. The ability to meditate and relax your body and mind is a huge advantage for those who want to make their mind work 100%. Yoga, mantras and aromatherapy can help you relax.
Proper healthy food
This is one of the most important stages in increasing mental alertness. Having in your diet a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals, you supply them to the brain cells, increasing its efficiency. Some of the most important vitamins necessary for the normal functioning of the brain are vitamins B12 and D. The first is found in meat, seafood, eggs and milk, that is, animal food sources, so vegetarians are most often deficient in this substance. Vitamin D is produced by the body during sun exposure. Therefore, often sunbathe and relax outdoors in sunny weather.
Omega-3 fatty acids are, by and large, one of the constituents of our brain, therefore, their deficiency causes enormous damage to human health. The body cannot synthesize polyunsaturated fatty acids on its own, so they must be supplied with food. Fish and seafood, liver, walnuts and some vegetable oils flaxseed, for example, are rich in omega-3s and should be present in the diet of adults and children. Rich in fatty acids and breast milk therefore, breastfed babies tend to score better on IQ tests than bottle-fed peers. Adequate consumption of foods that are sources of Omega-3, not only improves memory, mental balance and increased performance, but also significantly increases the likelihood of reversing or significantly reducing degenerative brain disorders.
Exercise
Any sport, yoga, qigong or fitness is an integral part of training the mind. The opinion that athletes do not shine mental abilities, fundamentally wrong. If you exercise in moderation, it helps to improve brain activity. Many studies show that the intelligence level of people who are overweight is very much inferior to the abilities of those who are addicted. There are many explanations for this: physical activity stimulates the production of a mass of hormones necessary for the body and even the growth of nerve cells that ensure the functioning of the brain. In addition, physical activity is the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Develop creative thinking
Visualization or imagination training is a very powerful mental stimulant.
Start with the simplest Apple exercise: all you need to do is visualize this fruit with your eyes closed. Your apple already has a certain color, but most likely this is all the information that you can voice for now. Your task is to augment this information. The next day, try to imagine the same apple, only drawing details: it could have stripes, a leaf and a twig. Try to zoom in on the item presented. Every day you have to add something to your apple, remembering in detail the already existing features. As a result, you will get a full-fledged colorful picture. Then, to the question of what you can tell about the presented fruit, you will be able to give a detailed answer, not only seeing it with your inner gaze, but also feeling its smell and taste, hearing the rustle of a leaf on the apple tree where it grows. Such exercises are a powerful tool for training observation, concentration and the development of creative thinking.
Solve puzzles and logic tasks
Improving the ability to logical thinking, solving charades and puzzles may seem like overwhelming work at first, but over time you can learn to "click" such riddles as nuts. An easy way to train your mind is to develop the hemisphere of your brain that is less active: in other words, write, draw and do something with your left hand (if you are right-handed, and vice versa). Thus, those abilities that were "sleeping" until that time develop.
Try to feel more joyful and fulfilled.
The performance of the brain directly depends on the amount of endorphins, the hormones of happiness, produced in the body.
Happy, contented, successful people are not deficient in these hormones, so their brains feel good too. Rejoicing in something, you contribute to the relaxation of the nervous system, the state of which is directly related to the possibilities of consciousness. Stress can have a negative effect on brain activity, so try to have moments of happiness more often. A one-time release of endorphin into the blood can increase performance here and now, so if you feel that you are starting to think badly, remember something good or eat ice cream.
Move!
Changing your body position is another way to help yourself. Circulatory disorder that occurs if you long time being in one position leads to the fact that the brain does not receive enough oxygen and begins to suffer from it. Each of us is faced with a situation when an arm or leg is numb. This may be due to poor circulation in this area. The same thing happens to the brain.
This also applies to posture. Studies have shown that people who keep their backs straight have better memory and a sharp mind. This is due to the fact that, bending over, you pinch some of the vessels that deliver blood to the brain and supply it with oxygen. Try walking with a straight back for a week and you will notice how much your memory and intelligence have improved.
You can stimulate the brain, develop new abilities, work faster and more efficiently, for this you just need to listen to your body and change your lifestyle quite a bit.
Thanks to discoveries in the field of neurobiology, the most powerful factors influencing human brain activity have become well known. The impact of these factors in childhood has been studied in particular detail. The researchers argue that the efficiency of the adult brain is predetermined, in particular:
- his genetic program,
- vaccinations and vaccinations,
- diseases suffered in childhood,
- dietary habits in childhood.
However, despite the fact that an adult is no longer able to influence these factors, he can nevertheless make his brain work faster and more efficiently. At least, the research group led by Dr. M. Merzenich came to such an optimistic conclusion.
If we combine the efforts of all scientists who have studied the question of how to make the brain work, then the result will be a list of 24 factors that affect the change in the brain activity of an adult.
the same is included in this list, compiled in the wake of scientific experiments and observations?
Food culture
1) Scientists urge people to prefer food that has undergone minimal processing. We must follow the example of hunters and pioneers, who prepared their own food quickly and easily. At the same time, they were distinguished by acute observation, intuition, and the ability to find a way out in the most difficult life circumstances.
2) Watching 4,000 teenagers, Swedish scientists found that eating fish twice a week improves verbal skills, visual-spatial orientation and general intelligence in teenagers. All of the above indicators increased by more than 10%.
So a full bowl of fish or seafood twice a week is essential to fuel your brain. Scientists urge, in case of impossibility to follow this recommendation, not to neglect fish oil. Although the exact mechanism of influence fish oil on mental performance has not yet been identified, it, at least like other omega fats, improves blood flow to the brain.
3) Make sure your food contains enough vitamins B, C, D, and E... If not, take them separately. This should be done regularly.
4) Eating too much sweets should be avoided... Excess glucose in the body reduces the activity of synaptic connections between neurons in the brain, which leads to a gradual deterioration in mental activity. Swapping out candy, ice cream, sweet rolls, and soda for fruit and yogurt will help your brain work faster.
5) Two cups of coffee a day is a great boost for brain activity... At the same time, scientists recorded the fact of an increase in the electrical activity of the brain and, as a result, an increase in the amount of attention and the ability to more easily and quickly assimilate new knowledge.
6) Some good wine, scientists say, doesn't just harm the adult body., but also stimulates brain processes. Italian scientists found that 29% of people over the age of 65, who rarely drank during their lives, showed a tendency towards mental retardation in old age. In the same age group alcohol drinkers in moderate quantities ”, only 19% of those prone to mental retardation turned out to be.
Lifestyle
7) A recent study from Tel Aviv University, confirms the conclusion about the dangers of smoking for brain activity. Researchers measured the IQ of 20,000 men between the ages of 18 and 21 who enlisted in the Israeli army. For those who smoked more than 1 pack of cigarettes, the average indicator was at the lower limit of the norm (90 points), and the average score among non-smokers was -101 (with the maximum possible 116 points).
8) Don't skimp on sleep. Getting enough sleep means giving your brain a break. People who get enough sleep are better and faster at processing visual signals going to their brains.
9) Some meditation and other stress-relieving techniques- very good for the brain.
10) Scientists have compared sexually active rats with rats that were allowed sexual contact only 2 times a month. In more active rats, not only an increased number of neurons in the brain, especially in the zones responsible for memory management, but there are also more connections between these cells than in rats from the second group. Although the discovery was made in rats, scientists thought it fair to transfer these findings to humans, explaining that regular sexual intercourse lowers stress and anxiety hormones.
11) Any inflammation inevitably leads to a decrease in brain activity. Therefore, the habit of carrying the disease on your feet, ignoring the recommendations of doctors, plays against you in this case. Swedish scientists have shown that the inflammatory process in the body negatively affects mental performance. Therefore, prevention and timely treatment of inflammatory processes is another important way to help the brain to better cope with its functions.
Hormonal background
Another answer to the question of how to make the brain work faster lies in the area of hormonal health. Good work the brain provides normal, and most importantly - stable, insulin levels in the body.
Lack of insulin negatively affects the functioning of the pancreas, which leads to a weakened memory. High insulin levels can cause Alzheimer's disease over time. So, a person is squeezed into a tight framework of not just the norm of insulin, but also the stability of indicators.
12) Two ways to support your brain- this is:
- avoid skipping meals so that insulin levels do not decrease,
- do not overeat, so as not to provoke a surge in insulin.
Free time
13) The rule " What we don't train stops developing» fully reflects the laws of development of both muscle and brain tissue. In mice that lived in cages, where there was a spinning wheel and a lot of all kinds of objects that create labyrinths lay, an increase in brain tissue and an increase in intelligence were recorded.
It is not necessary to become " the squirrel in the wheel", But regular physical activity and in general active image life is, albeit quite expected, but a proven answer to the question of how to make the brain work better.
14) When swimming in the pool, make it a rule to hold your breath as long as you can. This exercise provides a one-time powerful blood flow to the brain, which gives it a strong additional impetus for development.
15) Just 40 minutes walk 2 times a week lead to a significant activity of connections between nerve cells and, as a result, to improve memory and intelligence. This was proved by scientists by proposing such a walking mode to a group of subjects who led a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. After a year, the test results showed significant improvements.
16) When psychologists at London College analyzed brain scans of 125 students and then counted their Facebook contacts, they found that the students with the most friends also had significantly more neural connections, especially in areas associated with memory and emotional responses. Therefore, they advise to expand the number of their contacts and develop their ability to communicate, and with a variety of people.
17) Students who, according to the conditions of the experiment, watched TV for more than 2 hours a day, then demonstrated various forms of attention deficit. The more you watch TV, the worse you perform on intelligence tests, according to the results of testing 4,000 people, scientists have concluded. The lowest scores were for those who spent more than 4 hours watching TV. So, the less attention you pay to television viewing, the more efficient your mental activity and the more intact your attention functions.
18) Well Done computer game or a developing computer program (for example, “ Wikium"And others like it), as it turned out, are a good solution to how to make the brain work faster and more efficiently. Belgian scientists have analyzed the brain MRI of 150 adolescents. It found that those who regularly played video games had more brain cells in the area responsible for control, as well as the interaction of emotions and behavior, and, therefore, a higher potential for learning new things.
Intellectual habits
19) If you are faced with solving a problem, and you have to make a choice - to gather a group for " brainstorming» or find a solution alone, give preference to the second strategy. Taking responsibility for finding a solution, self-confidence, high level claims - all this stimulates and maintains the tone of your intellectual activity.
20) If you work, what is called " until the seventh sweat» , you should always have drinking water near you. For an hour and a half of hard work (especially hard physical work), the brain becomes so dehydrated that it can start or accelerate the aging process in it. The adolescents who, according to the conditions of the experiment, first did physical exercises, and then sat down to play a video game, made annoying mistakes and blunders if the experimenters asked them to refrain from drinking water.
21) A strong positive effect on intellectual abilities is exerted by, as scientists have found, self-confidence. When tackling a problem, make sure that you don't just want to solve it, but really believe that you can solve it. A certain amount of intellectual courage develops the mind and improves brain function.
22) Make it a rule to learn new things... Canadian scientists measured the memory level of 30 couples who were learning to dance the tango. It turned out that after training, the memory of the dancers underwent significant improvements. It doesn't matter what your lessons are about - foreign language, singing, or building skills. By loading the brain with new tasks, you pull it out of its usual comfort zone and force it to develop.
23) In science, the so-called " Mozart effect» - the influence of classical music on human brain activity. Classical music, due to its structural complexity, requires some effort from the brain to follow the musical pattern, and thus serves as a good simulator.
24) Don't let your gadgets replace your memory. Memorize and replay in memory:
- faces,
- melodies,
- poetry,
- phrases and quotes,
- addresses,
- phone numbers.
For the brain, such exercises are about the same as vitamins for your entire body.
The human brain is the most complex mechanism of nature of all existing ones. It is entrusted with the work of regulating and controlling all human activity. If the brain stops performing the necessary functions, the person loses the ability to act and feel.
Scientists have not yet fully figured out how the human brain works. It is believed that the human brain uses only 10% of its capabilities. Let's find out if this is so and how to make the brain work at 100%.
Is it true that the brain works only 10%?
Despite the fact that scientists are 10-15% convinced of the use of the brain, other experts argue that this is a myth. There are strong arguments to support this:
The conclusion is that the theory of using 10% of the brain is nothing more than an unfounded myth. A person uses all areas of the brain, but not 100%. To understand how to stimulate brain activity, you need to figure out how the human brain works.
The theory that the brain works only at 10% is nothing more than a myth!
How does the brain work?
The human brain is no more than 3% of the body weight. This is approximately 1.5-2 kg. For its smooth functioning, the body requires 20% of the total amount of oxygen absorbed by the lungs.
The human brain is a multilevel biological system. Its composition is a highly organized structure. The brain has several areas, each of which is responsible for specific functions. Some areas are responsible for sensory information - the touch felt by the body. Others regulate motor skills - the movement of a person. The third areas control cognitive function - the ability to think. The fourth are responsible for feelings and emotions.
The human brain is designed in such a way that inactive areas temporarily stop functioning. For example, when a person does not walk, the area of the brain responsible for this process becomes inactive as unnecessary at this moment. When a person becomes silent, the part of the brain that regulates the ability to reproduce speech becomes inactive. When we are in silence, the brain neurons that control hearing stop working. Imagine what would happen if all areas of the brain worked continuously. The human body could not bear such a load.
When the brain does not work correctly, a person is instantly hallucinated due to the need to experience more sensations than necessary. Thinking and brain activity is a complex area of knowledge. No specialist will be able to answer in detail the question of what will happen if all the neurons of the human brain are simultaneously stimulated.
The simultaneous work of all parts of the brain structure is impossible!
In the work of the brain, it is important to adhere to the "golden mean". Excessive intellectual activity has a detrimental effect on human life. There is an undeniable advantage in the fact that it is impossible to simultaneously make all areas of the brain work. After all, when a person is eating, he does not need to sing, when he sits at the computer - there is no need to dance when he is writing a dissertation - thoughts about something other than her will only interfere. Thus, not only the activity of the "necessary" neurons is necessary, but also the blocking of the "unnecessary" ones. Imbalance in brain function leads to mental illness and unnecessary problems.
An example of an imbalance in the work of the brain structure is a serious disease of epilepsy. A person suffers seizures when the blockage of “unnecessary” areas of the brain does not occur. At the time of the seizure, the brain activates those neurons that should be blocked. A wave of overexcitation of neurons and leads to muscle cramps. The sensations of a person during an epileptic seizure cannot be described, since during a seizure memory does not function.
Making the brain work 100% by activating all the neurons is dangerous. But stimulating brain activity to improve the efficiency of the brain is entirely possible.
Ways to make your brain work 100%
To use the capabilities of the brain to the maximum and without harm to the body, we suggest using useful tips.
- Active lifestyle. The more physical activity the body experiences, the better the brain works. You will look at life more positively, become wittier and happier. From physical exertion, the number of cells that regulate the process of learning information and memory increases.
- "Royal" posture. The position of the back and neck while walking or sitting affects the thought process. Do a simple experiment. Try to solve the equation by sitting incorrectly and following with a straight back. You will notice that in the second case, the thought process works more efficiently.
- Good blood circulation. Impaired blood circulation interferes with concentration. If you are in one position for a long time, then do a little exercise or take a walk. This will help restore blood circulation.
- Thinking training. In addition to exercise, it is important to stimulate the areas of the brain that regulate other functions. The only way to develop the brain is by making it work. Try new things. Be curious. Ask questions. Visit new places. Read books. Take up painting. Make it a habit to ask "why?" and always find the answer to this question.
Use the brain correctly, use all its areas to improve intelligence. Start with small habits and work your way up over time. global changes lifestyle and hobbies. By stimulating your brain activity, you will become more productive and happier.
”, As well as many articles on psychology for The New Yorker - talks about why we need to sleep more, spend less time on the Internet and stop being sprayed on several things at the same time.
You are, of course, a busy person. You try to keep your life afloat, plus work. Think about whether your smartphone helps you to cope with the tasks at hand? What about 10-15 tabs in a browser? A stream of emails pouring in one after another? And at the end of the day, you try to fall asleep and rest for the five hours you deserve, knowing that this is not enough. But you just don't have time for more.
If in the previous paragraph you recognized yourself, then Maria Konnikova has something to offer you: stop, take a step back and realize how dear your habits are costing you. The New Yorker, PhD in Psychology, knows what he's talking about.
I know I am fighting on the side of the losers. But I hope that at least someone hears my words that hyper-productivity makes us much less productive.
Maria Konnikova
Based on the materials of Maria Konnikova, I offer you four ways to improve your lifestyle and make your brain work.
Get enough sleep
Until now, sleep deprivation has not been fully studied. But science knows for sure that the main function of sleep is to remove biochemical waste products from the brain that appear as a result of its activity. This means that a lack of sleep can cause an accumulation of harmful proteins beta amyloid Beta amyloids which can lead to various diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
How to get rid of the habit of not getting enough sleep? You will have to change your lifestyle, which is not easy. It's not enough just to think, "I can't get enough sleep right now, but I'll do it this weekend." It won't work. Recovering from one sleepless night is easy, but chronic sleep deprivation is challenging.
How long should you sleep? For an adult, 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
Stop eating internet junk
You were probably wondering how the Internet affects our brains? Doesn't the Net make us addicted, turning into a kind of drug? Status on Facebook, email, Twitter, an interesting article, and so on in a vicious circle. Maria Konnikova says that the main problem of Internet users is the absent-mindedness. We constantly have to switch from one action to another, and this prevents us from focusing on important things.
How to get rid of this? Set a set of rules for yourself: half an hour email, half an hour Twitter, and so on. You can do it yourself, but if you know that willpower may not be enough, use the auxiliary ones.
Test your multitasking
Internet junk is just part of one big problem - multitasking. Modern culture encourages it and even forces us to do several things at the same time (for our own good). But have you ever seen an employer who needed someone with superior multitasking ability? Unlikely. Therefore, the benefits of multifunctionality are vague and are only in our heads. The main thing that needs to be achieved is complete concentration on one action. In this case, even if the task is incredibly boring, you will still feel much happier.
How to get rid of multitasking? For starters, try to develop the habit of noticing that you are doing several things at the same time. And, just like with the internet, discipline yourself to take it one at a time.
Train mindfulness
The most memorable trait of Sherlock Holmes is his incredible attentiveness. The ability to notice details that are beyond the control of other people. And, as Maria Konnikova says, inaction is at the heart of Holmes' crime solving. Often he just sits in a chair and does nothing. The eyes are closed and the body is motionless, unless he plays the violin. This is what helps Holmes to be concentrated and attentive to all the little things.
How do you start thinking like Sherlock Holmes? According to Maria Konnikova, all that needs to be done is to start imitating the detective. Set aside 10-15 minutes each day to sit down and do nothing. Concentrate on your own breathing, on each inhalation and exhalation. This exercise will help develop your focus. Imagine that you are training a muscle and with each session it gets bigger and stronger.
Do not feel that it is difficult or impossible to do all this. Start with small habits and move on to global change. Lack of sleep, multitasking, and internet clutter make us less productive, creative, and happy. Try to use yourself to the fullest on both the mental and physical levels.