Keeping the brain alert and active The prefrontal cortex is one of the most crucial parts of the brain. It’s linked with executive function skills, which you use for everyday tasks like decision-making and planning. For example, say you’re driving down a busy road but you’re late for a meeting. The bus-only lane is moving a lot faster, but you’re not supposed to be in that lane. Should you go anyway? If you do, then you’ll get to your meeting on time. You look at the queue and see that the police are ahead. You think that you’ve enough time to get in the bus lane and then get out before you reach the police car. This decision is an executive function skill. Here’s another scenario: the phone rings and it’s someone giving you important information about an event that you’re attending. You’re busy writing all this information down when you hear a beep from your computer alerting you that an email has just come in from your friend. You run over and check your email, but a...
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A lesson from the past: Lobotomising the prefrontal cortex Your knowledge of a lobotomy may be based on Jack Nicolson’s excellent portrayal of a rebellious patient at a mental hospital in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. According to the other patients in the hospital, a lobotomy effectively reduced someone to the same mental state as a shop window mannequin – expressionless and unemotional. The lobotomy procedure consists of cutting the brain connections that go in and out of the prefrontal cortex (see ‘Keeping the brain alert and active’ for informa- tion on the prefrontal cortex). Doctors considered a lobotomy the final step for modifying extreme behaviour when other treatments, such as shock therapy or electrical shock treatment, failed to change a patient’s behaviour. Doctors thought that a lobotomy calmed the patient, reduced aggressive behaviour, and improved the patient’s quality of life. However, scientists now know that this procedure is no longer nec...
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Getting Active for Life An active lifestyle leads to a more efficient brain – one that can respond better to stress, remember information, and be more attentive. From what you eat, to what exercise you do, to how much sleep you get and the amount of caffeine you drink – all these affect your brain. Understanding how your daily decisions in these areas could be making a big difference to how your brain works is important. So before you take another bite of your sand- wich or drink another glass of wine, find out what really is best for your brain. Here is a quick overview of tips and strategies you can find in this book: ✓ Eat for your brain. Chocolate to boost your brain? Juice to help your memory? Steak to help your attention? Eating the right brain food doesn’t mean that you end up eating lettuce and flavourless food. On the contrary, many delicious and wonderful foods are packed with nutrients that are fantastic for your brain. Read Chapter 12 before you star...
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Developing a Healthy Brain Mental health refers to your state of being. Are you happy? When do you find yourself frustrated? Do you feel stressed out? What makes you feel anxious? These questions are important in deter- mining how well your brain functions. So make sure that you pay attention to your mental health – doing so can make the difference between living a fulfilled life and a frustrated one. Don’t take your passions and hobbies for granted. Discover how these can make your brain more creative. And a more creative brain is a smarter brain. Whether you’re a music lover or a bud- ding writer, you can choose from a range of activities to help your brain. You can choose to be optimistic to make a difference to your mental health. You can easily think that a change in circumstances will change everything for you and make your life better. But this is seldom the case. The cautionary tale of the lottery winner in Chapter 9 demonstrates that – despite winning millions ...
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Where you are matters A diving instructor was puzzled because his divers kept forgetting objects that they’d found underwater, even when he asked the divers about the objects shortly after they were back on dry land. To find out why this was the case, some psycholo- gists conducted an experiment with divers. The psychologists gave one group of underwater divers a list of words to learn underwater and gave another group a list to learn on land. They then tested the divers’ memories of the word list both on land and underwater. The group that learned the list underwater remembered the list much better in the water but struggled to remember it on land. In contrast, the group who learned the list on land had better memories on land but forgot the list when they were underwater. This story is a great example of how remembering where you were when you learned the information can boost your memory.
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Drumming for your Brain You need a friend to help you with this one, but it’s a great activ- ity to do while you’re waiting. Ask your friend to hum a tune in his head. But he can’t tell you what the song is. Next, ask him to tap the tune’s rhythm out on the table. Listen carefully, and then tap the rhythm out as soon as your friend’s finished. See if you can remember the rhythm. Try to get as much of the beat correct. Your memory for rhythm is closely con- nected to your memory for language. By training how well you can remember a particular rhythm, you’re boosting your language skills as well. Read Chapter 8 for the benefits of music for the brain. Read a Challenging Book Don’t just be content with reading your usual newspaper or maga- zine. Why not challenge yourself by picking up something new to read? If you usually read fiction, pick up a historical novel instead. Reading something new is a great way to expand your horizons and get your brain thinking in new ways. ...
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Spend Five Minutes Each Morning in Contemplation Your mental health is crucial to how your brain functioning works (see Chapter 9). So don’t let your problems overwhelm you. Spend each morning preparing for the day by finding a few moments of calm and contemplation. You may need to wake up a little earlier so you can escape the morning madness in your house. But it’s worth doing so. I always find that my day goes a lot better when I’ve had a few moments in the morning to myself before everyone else wakes up. It may be that you just have a cup of coffee or tea and mentally prepare for the day. Or maybe you just like to sit and enjoy the silence. Spend your quiet moments however you choose, but just don’t pass on this one – it can set your mind right for the day. (Check out Mindfulness For Dummies by Shamash Alidina for more tips and advice.) List Three Things You’re Thankful for Before Bed A happy heart makes a healthy brain. Sometimes feeling frazzled at the end of t...