Is there really compelling evidence that we can turbocharge the brain?
The brain is often deemed the most powerful and incredibly complex electro-biochemical vessel that’s ever been created. No biggie: just 100 billion neurons housed in a small calcium shell, prompted by a network of channels, switches, and pumps that make the brain work beyond comprehension.
It used to be that this organ was considered static and can no longer be changed. Brain science, though, has proven time and again that it’s far from those previous assumptions.
There’s great potential to dramatically enhance and empower the mental and cognitive abilities of people, whether they are old or young. This is because the brain is dynamic, flexible, and just simply highly adaptable.
Even people who have had brain illness or injury are not exempt from this potential. It’s within the realm of possibilities to increase attention, performance, and overall cognition in order to comprehend, communicate, and solve problems in an increasingly complicated world.
The question now is: How?
Here are some ways that the brain can be turbocharged in such amazing ways, according to Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., of University of Texas at Dallas.
- Calibrate those mental efforts. Your mental energy, just like physical energy, can get easily depleted. You can prioritize for the day ahead. Focus on the most important tasks first while your brain is operating at its peak, typically at the start of the day.
- Try to stick to single tasking. Multitasking seems like a gift from the heavens. Imagine, you can perform multiple things at once! However, it’s crucial to note that the brain may be able to perform two tasks at once, but it’s not the best situation. Multitasking can tire the brain and activate stress hormones, affecting accuracy, speed, and innovative thinking. It also prevents the need to switch quickly from one task to another, and a totally unrelated one at that.
- Think innovation. Turbocharging the brain also means stepping outside the routine and comfortable. Yes, your brain also seeks novelty, so make it a point to expand your knowledge and acquire new skills from time to time.
- Think what motivates you. The brain is at its happiest when it explores your areas of passion. When you focus on what motivates you and matters greatly to you, you are actually fortifying the rate at which you learn. Amazing!
- Think and live big. The brain, while designed to transition in between details and the big picture, can become overwhelmed by excess focus on details. Thinking about an idea or problem from a big-picture perspective can help strengthen the systems in your brain, encouraging them to produce high-level ideas that transform. Based on Chapman’s research, doing so strengthens brain systems at various levels of health.
Now what? It’s great to flex your cortex and really maximize the potential and abilities of your brain. The point is not just to flex what it can do.
By training your brain to perform at peak levels and learning new, healthy ways of thinking, you can take your brain performance to an entirely new level no matter if you’re a student, working professional, or an elderly. Everyone can benefit from this, even those who suffer from cognitive, neurodevelopmental, and systemic brain performance issues.
So whether you’re complementing these tips to turbocharge your brain with changes in your diet, exercise, sleep habits, or use of nootropic blends, keep your eyes on the prize: positive, far-reaching effects on your cognitive performance, memory, focus, alertness, and beyond.
