The twenty-first century heralded the start of an era in which scientists could practically peer inside the human brain and dispel all myths about its inner workings. Its height and weight, for example, have nothing to do with its intellectual level. Scientists began experimenting with and observing strategies to improve the way the brain functions and learns new skills at any age. These discoveries are actively used by special agents, athletes, astronauts, doctors, and biohacking enthusiasts.
Myth: The brain is inexhaustible.
Truth: Although intellectual labour does not fatigue the brain, psychological and physical circumstances might affect your concentration and activity. The brain works better where you can hear the sound of waves, feel the salty breeze, see all colours of blue, and feel the warm sand, according to recent studies. That’s why we recuperate our strength considerably more quickly when we’re near the sea.
What to do: Try halotherapy, go for a walk in the woods, vacation near a body of water, and don’t be afraid to wander about barefoot in the summer. Make it a point to visit the beach as often as possible.
Myth: Drawing will not help you become a math genius.
Truth: Draw whenever you are unable to complete a challenging assignment or must make a difficult decision. Drawing engages both hemispheres of the brain, allowing you to come up with the best solution much faster. Children who depict new material or doodle in their notebooks learn math better and recall information faster, according to studies.
What to do: For 10–20 minutes, doodle or draw. Make a gesture with your non-dominant hand. If you’re left-handed, for example, use your right hand. If you do it every day, you’ll see a difference in just one month.
Myth: Swings are for kids
Truth: Playing on the swings as a child encourages the development of particular regions of the brain involved in speech and information processing. Swinging and spiralling improve spatial orientation skills and develop the vestibular mechanism in the ear at any age. Astronauts have confirmed this truth.
What to do: Swing for 15–20 minutes two or three times a week, and never miss a merry-go-round ride. It will protect you from seasickness and the side effects of binge drinking.
Myth: Psychic abilities don’t exist
Truth: People who have had to develop specific sense organs frequently exhibit a phenomenon known as the sixth sense. Blind persons, for example, can detect their surroundings while focusing on their senses of hearing, smell, and skin receptor activity. Their brain builds a particular map based on the received information in order to function effectively.
What to do: Using earplugs, practise doing tasks like walking backwards or playing “What’s in the Box?” where you have to determine which objects are hidden in a box many times a week.
Myth: Chess is the best mental sport there is.
Truth: Complex physical training improves brain function. Hormones involved in memory, absorption of new abilities, and neuron maintenance are produced during a full-body workout. During one trial, for example, participants were required to complete tasks. Group A stretched during the break, while group B rested. The resting group was found to have failed the task.
The most important thing is to not jeopardise your health while training. Rugby players frequently suffer from brain damage as a result of the frequent head injuries that occur during each game.
What to do: Don’t limit yourself to chess and crossword puzzles. To develop your entire body, swim, dance, and practise yoga.
Myth: Milk is good for your brain.
truth: is that there are numerous contraindications to drinking milk. Milk is bad for your brain and body. Other dairy products are far better. Wine, chocolate, and other brain-boosting goods have yet to be demonstrated, therefore they should be eaten in moderation.
Obesity damages brain circuits, while sugar and trans fats contribute to inflammation. The brain becomes depressed as it switches to low-energy activity. A shortage of food, on the other hand, might throw the brain off: it will expend all of its energy in order to obtain food, making a person hostile and irritable. As a result, the brain’s lifespan shortens and the probability of developing a mental illness rises.
What to do: Fatty fish, caviar, nuts, fruits, and vegetables should all be part of your daily diet.
Myth: Many skills can only be learned in childhood.
In maturity, almost any skill can be learnt and developed.
Surgeons, for example, began taking violin lessons once they were 30 to improve their fine motor abilities. Special agents are required to play video games in order to improve their reaction times, logic, and proper mission behaviour.
What to do: Don’t be frightened to try something you’ve wanted to do since you were a kid. New abilities build new neural pathways, which slow down the ageing of the brain. Don’t be put off by the age range: in alpine skiing, Mexico was represented by a 40-year-old competitor during the Pyeongchang Olympics. In just one year, he mastered this sport.
Myth: Positive thinking is just for the inexperienced and young
Truth: Optimists have an easier time dealing with failures and achieve their goals faster. Pessimism and continual worrying, on the other hand, can increase the risk of heart attack by up to 29% and cancer by up to 41%. Even if your genes dictate your attitude toward life, your life experiences can shape you as a person. That is why many psychologists advocate for the development of a “positive distortion.”
What to do: You can use an online training programme to practise every day. You look at 9 persons and try to pick the one who is smiling as quickly as possible. Regular training alters your brain’s perception of the world and reduces anxiety.
Myth: Some people have a natural aptitude for mathematics, whereas others do not
The truth is that a basic comprehension of math is instinctive. It is a crucial survival ability. Symmetry, for example, suggests ripe fruit, and “a sense of numbers” aids in determining the enemy tribe’s population.
The ability to do math develops in different ways for different people, but it can be increased even later in life. It aids memory recall and is beneficial to creative endeavours.
What to do: Start small – play Monopoly and Scrabble, look up simple math problems and tactile games, and keep track of your spending in your thoughts while shopping. Visit this website, which is widely regarded as the best online resource for anyone looking to enhance their math skills.
Myth: Coffee is helpful for memory if you drink it every day.
Truth: Caffeine improves brain function and can help prevent age-related memory loss, but it’s not necessary to use it on a regular basis. Reading a lot of books can help you strengthen your memory and expand your knowledge base.
What to do: Read at least 1–2 novels every week from various genres. Read old ones again to “refresh the data.” The brain can wipe knowledge from your memory if you don’t use it for a long time.
Myth: Spatial orientation is developed by using virtual maps and navigation systems.
Truth: After using a GPS system for a while, people tend to forget where the important streets are located.
That’s why, in order to work in London, cab drivers must know the locations of 25,000 streets. The portion of the brain responsible for spatial orientation, de-stressing, and changing behaviour patterns is boosted by knowing the key streets and being able to use maps.
What to do: Forego the GPS in favour of paper maps and pay attention to guiding features such as the sun’s position. Soon, you’ll be able to locate a specific site even if it’s in a different city.
Myth: Electrical stimulation causes the brain to overheat.
Truth: Scientists, special agents, sportsmen, gamers, and patients recovering from a traumatic brain injury or stroke primarily use electrical stimulation of the brain. This therapy helps with attention, logical thinking, reaction time, verbal memory, and imagination. For example, it is well known that one of the test subjects failed to complete a difficult logical task during a test. After a course of electrical stimulation, 40% of the test respondents were able to correctly answer the question.
What to do: Only start this therapy after speaking with a doctor to avoid causing yourself any harm.
Myth: Stimulating the pleasure centres of the brain increases brain performance.
Truth: When you eat sweets, consume wine, or fall in love, the hormone dopamine increases your pleasure. It momentarily boosts brain function before lowering productivity and requiring a new “dosage.”
Serotonin, a hormone created when you experience personal pleasure, laugh, or share a beloved hobby with a pleasant person, can increase brain performance for a longer amount of time than dopamine (for example, watching a movie or having lunch). You can make an exception in these instances and drink wine or eat sweets together.
What to do: Spend more time with friends, travel, meet new people, and share happy feelings with your family.
Are you ready to put these methods to the test on yourself? Let us know what you think.
