5 reasons to pump your brain, even if everything in the world can now be Google
Miscellaneous / / October 05, 2021
The human brain always finds the simplest ways to solve problems. Watching a movie in English with Russian subtitles? You will probably read the translation, but you will not learn a word from a foreign speech. Trying to remember the name of your mom's favorite singer? The hand will immediately reach for the phone to find the answer on the Internet. The brain is too lazy to strain, but you still need to train it and learn new things. We will tell you why it is worth doing this.
1. To get smarter
The good news for those who believe that the level of intelligence inherited at birth cannot be changed: recent studies have shown that this is not the case. The part of the mental faculty that can be developed is called fluid intelligence. He is responsible for the ability to reason and solve new problems, regardless of the previous knowledge and experience.
Scientists from the University of Michigan and Berne have checkedImproving fluid intelligence with training on working memory / NCBIwhether working memory training can improve intelligence. Participants were shown a series of images in which simple objects such as crosses and squares were arranged in a specific order. Images were associated with letters: for example, a picture with a cross in the middle and a square in the lower right corner corresponded to the letter C.
The subjects had to memorize the combinations of signs, and also determine whether the displayed pictures coincide with the proposed letters. It turned out that the more the study participants trained, the higher the level of their mobile intelligence became.
2. To keep a clear mind longer
According toDementia / World Health Organization WHO, there are 50 million people in the world living with dementia or acquired dementia. And each year their number increases by an average of 10 million. Unfortunately, there is no effective way to treat the disease, but there are proven methods of preventing it. One of them is constant brain training.
Learn foreign languages, solve crosswords, sign up for speed reading courses, play chess, memorize poetry - all this will help maintain mental health and a sharp mind until old age. Scientists from the University of New South Wales in the course of research foundScientifically proven: brain training can reduce the risk of dementia / NeuroNationthat intellectual activity during life reduces the risk of dementia by 45%.
3. To memorize more effectively
When you memorize something, be it the multiplication table or the comma rules, your brain has to work harder. The amount of memory increases, and the skill of memorization improves.
A study in London showedLondon taxi drivers and bus drivers: a structural MRI and neuropsychological analysis / National Library of Medicinethat there is more gray matter in the hippocampus of taxi drivers than in city bus drivers. The hippocampus is responsible for forming and accessing memories.
Scientists have concluded that this area is more developed among taxi drivers, because they constantly travel on new routes and navigate the streets based on the requests of passengers, while bus drivers always move along the same scheme. The hippocampus and memory capacity increased with constant stimulation. It turns out that the peculiarities of the profession influenced the structure of the brain.
4. To better concentrate
While you are reading this text, you have probably already been distracted by a notification in a smartphone, a message in a messenger, or a conversation with colleagues or family. Something is constantly happening around, and attention is scattered, instead of concentrating on the important.
Exercising your brain can help you take your mind off the clutter and become more mindful. Scientists at the Karolinska Institute conducted a studyWorking ‑ memory 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 success of the subjects: in fact, each participant received a personalized program of mental training. The assignments for the other group were prepared using the same material, but their level of difficulty was relatively low.
After completing the experiment, experts noted that the concentration and intelligence level of participants in the category with personalized training programs increased. Moreover, this result was observed both in subjects who were from 20 to 30 years old, and in representatives of the age group 60–70 years old.
5. To succeed
Smart people get used to change easier. They are distinguished by greater flexibility of consciousness and in any incomprehensible situation they can behave effectively. The basis for good adaptation is a combination of perception, learning, thinking, memory and other mental processes. A person whose brain works like a clock is able to find non-standard solutions faster, panic less in difficult situations and calculate the scenarios in advance. With such skills, he can become a valuable employee, and in the long term, a leader.
In addition, emotional intelligence helps to achieve success and qualify for a high salary - this is the ability to understand and recognize one's own and others' intentions, as well as use this knowledge to achieving goals. Research by TalentSmart showedIncreasing Your Salary with Emotional Intelligence / TalentSmartthat people with high emotional intelligence earn more than those with less developed emotional intelligence. On average, the difference was $ 29,000 per year.
If you are ready to test your intelligence level now, there is a great opportunity for this. Take part in the all-Russian free intellectual online quiz “League of Knowledge"And get a chance to win valuable prizes and certificates for travel to the most picturesque corners of Russia. So, the best players will have the opportunity to visit Karelia, Baikal, Kamchatka and Altai.
Detailed information about the quiz and the schedule of the season games can be found on the website “Knowledge leagues». The closest qualifying game will be held on October 9 - registration for it is already open. Gather a team and apply - perhaps you will find yourself in the final!
I want to participate!