get smart
Science has found new strategies to help our sharp minds keep their edge.
In a world with smart cars, smart toys, smart telephones, and even smart toilets, it was only a matter of time before scientists figured out how to make smarter people. A convergence of technologies that allow doctors to watch the brain in action and an aging population challenged by everyday remembering and calculating have spurred a tremendous amount of research into what makes the brain tick—and how to make it tick better.
"We used to think that the adult brain couldn’t grow," says neurologist Jay Lombard, coauthor of Balance Your Brain, Balance Your Life (Wiley & Sons, $25). "Now we know that it not only grows but also regenerates old cells that are out of use." You can encourage this growth and regeneration, research has shown, by taking steps to strengthen and challenge your brain. Most of the following recommendations involve nothing more than focusing your attention. The rest aim to reverse the ravages of an unhealthy lifestyle.
Age is undeniably a factor. Boomers tend to notice more weaknesses in their memory and concentration than 20-year-olds do. But people of any age can benefit from these smartening-up strategies. The brain is like a muscle: It can always use a little exercise.
play games often
Classic games like chess, checkers, bridge, and backgammon are perfect brain food. They force you to think ahead, to see the big picture, and to consider a number of options at once. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, New York, published the evidence this past summer from a study that followed a group of nearly 500 elderly people for 21 years. Researchers found that those who played games at least once a week cut their risk of developing dementia by at least half. The benefit increased with the number of times they played—up to four times a week. "Clearly you must have a level of competence, and it’s got to be something you enjoy," says Joe Verghese, M.D., clinical director of the study.
Younger chess players are better able than older ones to consider a large number of potential moves. But scientists have shown that memory pathways return with practice. Lots of games count as brain toners, including solitaire, Stratego, and Scrabble. So turn off the TV and start playing. If nothing else, you’ll feel like a kid again.
shift gears
We live in a left-brain world, where logic and the ability to think things through before acting are rewarded. By always looking before we leap, however, we squeeze out valuable input from the creative and intuitive right side of the brain. The solution is to choose a leisure-time activity that penalizes you for thinking or talking before acting. "We have to change the patterns of our thoughts from time to time," says Lombard.
Pinball, juggling, and Nintendo, believe it or not, are all excellent right-brain activities, because they force you to act on instinct. Doodling is a classic way to tease out abstract right-brain thoughts, as are looking at (not talking about) art and listening to music. Richard Restak, M.D., a clinical professor of neurology at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., even encourages people to play a game with wads of paper and a trash can: Begin by standing about six feet away with your back to the can. Quickly turn and throw the paper into the can without thinking. Once the left-brain inner coach takes over and starts critiquing your tosses, the workout is over. Take time out for these kinds of mind-shifting activities whenever you need a break or are feeling overloaded during the day.
build your memory
Thanks to stress, poor nutrition, and sleep deprivation, the average person begins noticing a decline in memory around age 40. It’s crucial to fix the lifestyle problems, but it’s also possible to revive memory power through training. Many experts recommend systems such as chunking — for instance, learning your credit-card number in chunks of three digits. Most memory courses also teach mnemonic techniques for remembering names, like picturing an Easter hat with lilies on the head of a woman you’ve just met who’s named Lily.
But there are less contrived ways of increasing your attention to detail. Restak recommends incorporating a little study time into leisure activities. If you’re reading a mystery, jot down the sequence of events you’ve just read as soon as you put the book down. Or when you’ve finished watching a DVD, try to recall all the scenes in order. You might even scroll back to see how well you did.
The key to the strength of any memory is emotional content. Everyone remembers where they were on September 11, 2001, but how about November 14? Some things may be just too boring to hold on to — ergo, Post-it notes, which come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. They can prompt you on the nitty-gritty stuff, freeing your mind to work on storing the worthy memories.
be active
No more jokes about dumb jocks: It is now irrefutable that exercise increases brainpower. "The greater your level of fitness, the less brain tissue you will lose as you age," says Stan Colcombe, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Studies, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Aerobic exercise pumps more blood to the brain, bringing vitalizing oxygen and nutrients to cells. But even more powerful is the effect of exercise on an intracellular messenger called brain drive neurotropin factor (BDNF). Exercise increases BDNF, which has been shown to slow the rate of normal brain-cell death and increase the production of brain cells. "The absentminded professor just needs to get up from his desk," says Colcombe. His minimum prescription: a brisk 15-minute walk (enough to elevate your heart rate) three times a week — for the rest of your life.
reduce stress
Even when life is OK — job is great, family healthy and happy — information overload continually places extraordinary stress on the brain. "You get up and have coffee, watch CNN, read the New York Times, and rush off to work. It’s a disaster for your brain," says Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., a meditation authority and coauthor of Brain Longevity (Warner Books, $15). Stress produces a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol starves brain cells of fuel, particularly in the hippocampus, where memories are stored and retrieved. And scientists know that chronic cortisol elevation kills brain cells. To put it simply, stress shrinks your brain.
Luckily, the cure for the stressed mind is simple: downtime. Meditation is the mother of all downtime activities. To some, however, the concept is intimidating, because it implies learning a new skill — not to mention making time for it.
In her book The Art of Doing Nothing (Clarkson Potter, $17), Véronique Vienne extols the virtues of merely lounging on your back with your eyes half-shut. And, she claims, reorganizing a sock drawer is almost as good as meditation, but only if you give yourself permission to abandon the activity midway. (If you have to force yourself to continue, your mind will no longer be at rest.) Keep in mind that Leonardo da Vinci was notorious for leaving projects unfinished. And if you’re feeling guilty about doing nothing, tell yourself you’re busy reducing cortisol levels in your hippocampus.
feed your brain
We’ve all heard it before, but it’s been confirmed yet again by recent research: Fish is the best brain food. Not just any fish, but cold-water species like salmon, tuna, and mackerel, which contain omega-3 fatty acids in abundance. These molecules reduce inflammation and protect brain cells from free-radical damage. Jay Lombard eats cold-water fish three times a week; he says that only people who don’t eat fish should bother taking fish-oil capsules. He does, however, strongly recommend a daily supplement containing folic acid, which is needed for forming myelin, the nerve sheath that makes it possible for neurotransmitters in the brain to send messages.
Lowering cholesterol may also help protect the brain, by reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to Gunnar Gouras, M.D., an assistant professor of neurology and neuroscience at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College, in New York City. Dining on antioxidant-rich blueberries increases a brain chemical necessary for memory, though you’d need to eat them by the bowlful. "I tell people just to eat a multitude of colorful fruits and vegetables for good measure," says Lombard. "That’s what nature intended." Mother Nature also gave us coffee and chocolate to enhance mental performance, but as stimulants they should be used sparingly. There’s the risk of overdoing it, which may cause stress and counteract the subtle benefits of imbibing.
dodge depression
It’s hard to think straight when you’re depressed. In fact, a marked deterioration of short-term memory — for example, not being able to recall what you had for breakfast — is one of the most common symptoms of depression. "You lose your ability to focus and concentrate, and that influences your ability to store new memories," says Paul Solomon, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. People often go to the doctor afraid that they’re developing Alzheimer’s disease only to find out they are depressed, which is more readily treatable, Solomon says. The good news is, symptoms like lack of focus, short attention span, inability to concentrate, and poor short-term memory typically resolve themselves as the depression lifts.
Antidepressant drugs are not the only answer. Psychological therapy is also effective. And research by the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center, at Cornell University, showed that volunteering boosts self-esteem and energy. So donating a little time to others is good for you, not to mention what it does for your karma.
