Boost Your Brain Power with These 12 Easy Hacks
Think you’re just using 10% of your brain? Think again.
by: E.B. Johnson
If you’ve ever come anywhere near a high school science class, then you have probably heard the old myth that we only use 10% of our brains.
Our brains are the most complex organs in our body. They determine how we experience the world around us and they hold the key to not only our physical being, but our emotional and mental being as well.
The human brain weighs about 3 pounds on average and has about 100 billion neurons, which means it’s an incredibly powerful organ, capable of storing and transferring massive amounts of information — even when we’re not aware of it.
Still, more than 65% of Americans believe that we only use ten percent of our brains when it comes to day-to-day living, despite the evidence that proves otherwise.
Do we really only use 10% of our brains?
It was a study conducted in 2013 that identified the fact that more than half of Americans believed we only used a minuscule amount of brain power.
According to an interview with neurologist Barry Gordon, however, this is just categorically untrue.
When scientists look at the brain (using MRI and other common imaging techniques) it’s clear that this super neuron highway is in use most of the time, even when we perform simple actions (or unconscious ones like breathing.)
No matter if we are resting or sleeping, or brain is whirring away, taking care of business and seeing to the processes that keep us alive and ticking along. The percentage of the brain actually active at one time varies from person to person, but it’s far more than 10% and it depends entirely on what said person is doing or thinking about.
It’s not really clear where this myth came from, but there are a few likely culprits.
In 1907, an article was published in the journal Science in which a psychologist named William James claimed that humans only used a limited part of their mental resources. In 1936, Dale Carnegie then referenced this myth in infamous book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. The myth trickled down and down to where we’re at today, but thankfully technology has allowed us to shed a bit more light on the subject.
While the myth of 10% might be fake news, however, the brain — like any other organ — can be enhanced by lifestyle, diet and a few other simple tweaks.
Improve your brain power, improve your life.
You may not be able to tap into some hidden corner of your brain, but you can improve your cognitive abilities as well as the general skills and knowledge your brains holds.
If you want to get the most out of your brain power, try these 16 little tweaks that can give your mind the edge:
1. Exercise
Regular physical exercise can do wonders for helping boost your brains molecular functions.
Studies show that getting at least 20 minutes of aerobic activity every day can elevate the neuroplasticity in your brain, creating new connections between cells and giving you the ability to remember more.
Exercise can also help decrease the risk of debilitating diseases like dementia, which destroy the brain and make life an impossible task.
If you’re not a gym rat, don’t despair. You don’t have to run for miles if you want to see some improvement in your cognitive abilities. Look for cardiovascular activities like brisk walking or bike riding. Likewise, you can also opt for a lower impact option that swimming.
2. Memory training.
Once you have those new connections in place, keep them sharp by investing some time in memory training for your brain.
Forgetfulness is a problem and it becomes more of an issue as we age. Work on training your brain to memorize important details like passport numbers, addresses and telephone numbers as an easy way to boost your memory skills.
Practiced daily, these routines are invaluable in maintaining new neural connections. Focus on increasing speed and ability to process complex information quickly for best results.
3. Try new things.
Getting stuck in a routine, while comforting, can actually go a long way to reduce our overall brain function. When you stick to a routine you let your brain go on autopilot, and that can become dangerous.
Break out of the norm and commit to trying new things. These “new things” can be as simple as taking a cooking class or picking up a new hobby. They can also be as grand as traveling to a different country or taking on a new job outside of your comfort zone.
New experiences help to stimulate our brains and keep them buzzing. When we break out of a routine, we actually change the structure of our brains and create even more new neural pathways that generate invaluable skills and knowledge.
4. Cut the smoking and the boozing.
If you’re looking to improve your brain function, I’m sad to say that you can’t do it by smoking and drinking your way there.
Smoking and drinking act like poison to the brain and hinder function. Not only that, but these habits can lead to some serious consequences when it comes to your long term physical health.
5. Get enough sleep. Every night.
Scientists claim that the human brains needs a minimum of 7–9 hours of sleep each night in order to function at its fullest. This number can be higher or lower for certain people.
Your body needs sleep to function, and when it doesn’t get it your brain is one of the first organs to pay. When we fail to get enough sleep, we deny our mothership the energy and strength it needs to complete processes like hormone generation and metabolism regulation.
Getting enough rest and sleep allows our body to eliminate toxins and allows it to rejuvenate the brain. Likewise, 20 minute naps throughout the day can also boost cognition and has even been proven to improve overall brain function.
6. Balance your diet.
Almost 20% of the nutrients you take in are used to fuel your brainpower, so it’s critical that you focus on a diet that’s filled with proteins, fats and lots of fruits and leafy greens.
Eating well can improve your overall health, but it also decreases the risks of a lot of other brain issues as well. By focusing on getting the nutrients you need, you can lower the chance of getting everything from dementia to cardiovascular disease and even type 2 diabetes.
To get the most out of your brain power focus on the following foods:
- Pecans and walnuts: Rich in antioxidants, these crunchy superfoods promote brain health and are also doubly rich in protein.
- Dark-skinned fruits and veggies: These natural aids are rich in vitamin E and include familiar features like spinach, blueberries and broccoli. Many of them are also rich in beta carotene (red peppers and sweet potatoes) and provide an easy way to boost brain health.
- Oily fish: Tuna, mackerel and salmon are oily fish that packed in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are rumored to improve cognition and help us amp up our memory.
7. Get social.
Being social with others can help us to build new connections and improve our critical thinking skills. When we interact with others we actually give our brains a workout, and when we do that we’re actually expanding our horizons.
If you want to build up your brain power, build up your social network. Get online and befriend people from other countries, take a local skills course or get to know a neighbor you’ve never talked to before. Being social is a great way to use more of your brain and enhance your communication skills.
8. Learn how to relax.
Because we live in a world where we associate busyness with success, we often think that the same applies to our brains. We push our minds to a mile an minute dash and then wonder why we struggle to remember important details. We hardly give ourselves a break, let alone our brains.
Stress might give you extra strength and adrenaline (in times of need), but it also causes health problems and puts a cap on our creative abilities.
Learn to adopt some relaxation techniques like meditation, music listening or napping to calm the mind and amp up your mental capacity.
When we teach ourselves to take a step back, and figure out how to quiet our minds, we give ourselves a chance to think more clearly and this allows us to build up a resilience to the stress of life.
Embrace a new “quiet practice” (whatever that looks like to you) and give your brain a few minutes of peace and quiet every day.
9. Think about vitamins / supplements.
Brain gurus tout the power and effectiveness of nootropics and for good reason. There’s long been a scientific link between vitamin D and the way our brain processes things cognitively.
Make sure you’re getting 1,000 to 2,000 units of vitamin D every day and, failing that, try to get yourself outside in the sunlight for 15–30 minutes every day.
Other nootropics like fish oil can also help you build a more effective memory and help you deal with the tasks that come along with day-to-day struggles.
10. Go outside.
Vitamin D aside, getting out in nature for 90 minutes a day has been proven to reduce harmful thinking, boost creativity and improve overall cognitive function.
You can walk (or run) in an urban environment or a rural one. It doesn’t matter! The beneficial part is getting outside, getting some sunlight and giving your brain some exposure to a little change of pace.
11. Turn off the tech.
If you really want to give your brain a workout, turn off the tech and rely on only your noggin for things like navigating, basic editing and the basic mathematics that you encounter throughout your day.
Map-reading and mental math are another great way to form new neural pathways and develop your problem-solving skills. When we rely on our own prowess, rather than the encyclopedia of knowledge our smartphones and tablets provide, we boost our confidence and discover new skills which can help us reframe our thinking and the way we use our brains.
Use a paper map instead of that app and keep the calculator off and in the desk. Exercise that part of your brain that links spatial relationships and exercise your calculating know-how by going it on your own.
12. Music makes the brain grow stronger.
Music is a huge stimulator and one of the most powerful ways to boost your brain power.
When you learn to play an instrument, you sharpen your memory and protect it from the ravages of horrible diseases like dementia. Playing instruments in ensembles have also been shown to strengthen your ability to extract information and problem solve in a way that no other educational process seems to.
Listening to music and singing music too is powerful when it comes to strengthening the brain.
The act of singing lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) and releases endorphins which make us feel confident and happy. When we sing in a group, we get an added shot of dopamine, which can give us a feeling of euphoria.
Likewise, when we listen to music we get some pretty amazing benefits. Listening to your favorite bops can also reduce cortisol and also act as a painkiller by distracting us from our negative thoughts and emotions (which often exaggerate unrelated aches and pains).
Music has the power to connect brain hemispheres and boost your creative energy. It can induce a state of calmness and even help improve circulation and reduce blood pressure.
If you want a miracle pill to boost your brain power, then music might just be it.
Putting it all together…
Our brains are the key to the way we see the world and the way we experience our lives. A healthy brain equals a happy person, so when we focus on the things that improve our brain health, we’re actually focusing on the things that improve the quality of our overall lives.
Build a better brain by listening to music, getting outside and investing in your physical health. Turn off your cellphone and learn how to depend on your know how to survive and, when things get too stressful, learn how to unplug and relax your chaotic thoughts. Get social, focus on a balanced diet and invest in supplements that give you that extra edge.
The earlier you change your habits the healthier your brain will be. Don’t wait. Start taking care of your brain today.
