5 reasons to pump your brain, even if you can google everything in the world right now

1. To get smarter

The good news for those who think you can't change the intelligence you gain at birth is that recent research shows this is not true. The part of your brain that can be developed is called agile intelligence. It's responsible for reasoning and solving new problems, regardless of prior knowledge or experience.

 

Researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Bern tested whether training on working memory could improve intelligence. Participants were shown a series of images in which simple objects like crosses and squares were arranged in a particular order. They were then correlated with letters; for example, a picture with a cross in the middle and a square in the lower right corresponded to the letter C.

 

Subjects had to memorize combinations of symbols, and also determine whether the images they saw coincided with the suggested letters. It turned out that the more the subjects practiced, the higher their level of mobile intelligence became.

 

2. To keep a clear mind longer 

According to the World Health Organization, there are 50 million people worldwide living with dementia or acquired dementia. And every year their number increases by an average of 10 million. Unfortunately, there is no effective cure, but there are proven methods of prevention. One of them is constant training of the brain.

 

Learn foreign languages, do crossword puzzles, sign up for speed-reading courses, play chess and memorize poems - all this will help keep your mental health and sharp mind until old age. Researchers from the University of New South Wales in the study foundScientifically proven: brain training can reduce the risk of dementia / NeuroNation, that intellectual activity during life reduces the risk of dementia by 45%.

 

3. to memorize more effectively.

When you memorize something, whether it's the multiplication table or comma rules, your brain has to work harder. Your memory capacity increases and your memorization skill improves.

 

A London study shows that cab and bus drivers: a structural MRI and neuropsychological analysis / National Library of Medicine found that cab drivers have more grey matter in their hippocampus than city bus drivers. The hippocampus is responsible for forming and accessing memories.

 

Researchers concluded that cab drivers have a more developed gray matter area because they constantly drive new routes and navigate the streets based on passenger requests, while bus drivers always move in the same pattern. The hippocampus and memory volume increased due to constant stimulation. It turns out that the specifics of the profession influenced the brain structure.

 

4. To concentrate better 

As you read this text, you are probably already distracted by a notification on your smartphone, a message in a messenger, or a conversation with your colleagues or family. There is always something going on around you, and your attention is scattered instead of concentrating on what is important.

 

Exercising your brain helps you take your mind off the unnecessary and become more attentive. Researchers at Karolinska Institute conducted a study on brain training in younger and older adults: training gains, transfer, and maintenance / NCBI, in which people of different ages were divided into two categories and asked to solve problems. In one group, the difficulty of the tasks was constantly adjusted to the progress of the subjects: in fact, each participant received a personalized mental training program. Tasks for the other group were prepared on the same material, but their level of difficulty was relatively low.

 

After the experiment, experts noted that the concentration and intelligence levels of participants from the category with personalized training programs were higher. And this result was observed both in subjects who were 20 to 30 years old, and in representatives of the age group of 60-70 years.

 

5. To Succeed

Intelligent people are more easily accustomed to change. They are more flexible in their minds and can behave effectively in any unclear situation. The basis of good adaptation is a combination of perception, learning, thinking, memory, and other mental processes. A person whose brain works like a clock can find non-standard solutions faster, panic less in difficult situations, and calculate scenarios ahead of time. With these skills he can become a valuable employee and, in the long run, a manager.

 

In addition, to achieve success and qualify for a high salary helps emotional intelligence - the ability to understand and recognize one's own and others' intentions, and use this knowledge to achieve goals. A TalentSmart study showedIncreasing Your Salary with Emotional Intelligence / TalentSmart found that people with high emotional intelligence earn more than those with a less developed ability. The average difference was $29,000 a year.

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