31 Ways To Get Smarter In 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read stuff. Learn new languages. Master chess. Zone out. Getting a bigger brain is easier—and more fun—than you think.

 

 

 

1) Play Words With Friends

Alec Baldwin is onto something. Research shows word puzzles can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, so don't feel guilty whiling away time with the popular smartphone game. Just make sure to turn when you fly...

 

The popular smartphone game gets your thinking juices flowing! Research has shown that word puzzles help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Just turn the phone off if a flight attendant asks you to, okay?

 

 

2) Eat Turmeric

A common spice in Indian and Thai curries, this gingerlike root contains curcumin, which may reduce the risk of dementia. Just be tidy: in India, it is also used as an orange-yellow dye.

 

I’ve never heard of this one and I’d be surprised if you have. Its a common spice in Indian and Thai curries. The spice contains curcumin, which may reduce the risk of dementia.

 

 

 

3) Take Tae Kwon Do

Or dance. Or play squash. Look for an activity that raises your heart rate and requires a lot of coordination, says John J. Ratey, author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science, of Exercise and the Brain. Each homebodies should be able to find a brain-boosting sport with interactive-game technologies like Microsoft Kinect and Nintendo Wii Fit.

 

Or SOMETHING physical, it can be anything: playing tennis, dancing, play certain games on the Nintendo Wii or X-Box Kinect. Any activity that raises your heart rate and requires a lot of coordination says John J. Ratey, author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.

 

 

 

4) Get News from Al Jazeera

Don't shut yourself out from new ideas. A 2009 study found that viewers of Al Jazeera English were more open-minded than people who got their news from CNN International and BBC World.

 

For some reason a 2009 study found that viewers of Al Jazeera English were more open-minded than people who got their news from CNN International and BBC World.

 

 

 

5) Toss your smartphone

Like, in the garbage: constantly checking your email disrupts focus and saps productivity. And go offline from time to time by installing Freedom, Internet-blocking software that lets you concentrate on the task at hand.

 

For most of us this is insanity. Our phones are permanently attached to our hands! But those little suckers waste so much of our time, especially while we should be working hard. The Daily Beast recommends software called “Freedom” where you can block your computer from accessing the internet for a specific amount of time.

 

 

 

6) Sleep. A Lot.

Take a nap, then get to bed early. Harvard research has shown your brain continues to process memories even after you’ve gone to sleep, so you can recall them better later.

 

Take a nap, then get to bed early. Harvard research has shown that your brain continues to process memories even when you’re sleeping, so you can recall them better later.

 

 

 

7) Download the TED APP

The world’s greatest minds gather annually at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conferences to explore the cutting edge of issues like brain mapping and prenatal intelligence. If you can’t attend, download the TED app for iOS and Android.

 

Some of the greatest minds around gather each year at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conferences to explore new ideas. Since you probably can’t be there in person, downloading the app is the next best thing to see what they’re up to.

 

 

 

8) Go to a Literary Festival

Are Los Angeles, Wales, and Jaipur places you’ve always wanted to visit? Well, they all have major annual book festivals, so buy a ticket at the right time and learn a thing or two from big-shot authors like Tom Stoppard and Jennifer Egan as you travel.

 

Wow, this sounds like fun, huh? Ok, obviously not to me – but maybe it’s your thing. Los Angeles, Wales and Jaipur (?) are all places with major annual book festivals so make your reservations now!

 

 

 

9) Build a ‘Memory Palace’

A trick for quick recall: associate the thing you want to remember with a vivid image. You may not have the patience to build a “memory palace,” but at least get a sense of such techniques by reading Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything.

 

Its a trick for quick recall, associate the thing you want to remember with a vivid image. You can get a better grasp on the techniques outlined in Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything.

 

 

 

10) Learn a Language

Mastering a second language gives a workout to your prefrontal cortex, which affects decision making and emotions. Enroll in a class, embed in deepest Sichuan province, or simply pick up Rosetta Stone software and teach yourself Latin.

 

Mastering a second language really gives your brain a workout. The abundance of “Rosetta Stone”-type language software these days makes it easier than ever.

 

 

11) Eat Dark chocolate

It might not boost your IQ overnight, but dark chocolate is reported to have memory-improving flavonoids. And go ahead and pair it with a glass of red wine—another great flavonoid source.

 

Yes! Now here’s one I can get behind! Dark chocolate is reported to have memory-improving flavonoids. You know what else has lots of flavonoids? Red wine. So the next time you look in the mirror and see you are drunk from red wine and fat from dark chocolate, just remind yourself it’s slowly making you smarter.

 

 

 

12) Join a Knitting Circle

Whip out the needles and make an awesome scarf. Refining motor ability can bolster cognitive skills. Plus—it’ll keep you warm this winter.

 

Knitting refines your motor ability which can bolster cognitive skills. Plus you can knit yourself some stylish pants that everyone will be impressed with.

 

 

 

13) Wipe the Smile Off Your Face

Experiments have shown that the simple act of frowning makes you more skeptical and analytic in your thinking.

 

Experiments have shown that the simple act of frowning makes you more skeptical and analytic in your thinking. It also makes you look like a big sourpuss that no one likes. So… your choice.

 

 

14) Play Violent Video Games

Yes, you read that right. Various studies have found that videogames quicken reactions, improve multitasking, and reduce hostile feelings after a stressful task. So check out one of this winter’s hot sellers—Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or Batman: Arkham Asylum.

 

Various studies have found that video games quicken reaction, improve multitasking, and reduce hostile feelings after a stressful task. Anything from the "Grand Theft Auto" from GTA3 and beyond will de just fine.

 

 

15) Follow these people on Twitter

Nouriel Roubini (@Nouriel): Take in his economic genius—and friend him on Facebook to see photos of his playboy lifestyle. Jad Abumrad (@JadAbumrad): His show “Radiolab” is the smartest guide to science and philosophy on the airwaves.Colson Whitehead (@colsonwhitehead): The acclaimed novelist is just as insightful and funny in 140 characters.

Economic genius Nouriel Roubini (@Nouriel), online show host Jad Abumrad (@JadAbumrad) and author Colson Whitehead (@colsonwhitehead). Those guys are smart. Reading their tweets MUST rub off on you in some positive way.

 

 

16) Eat Yogurt

Probiotics are good for your stomach, but studies on mice suggest they are good for your brain, too: mice who ate them handled anxiety better and showed increased activity in sections of the brain handling emotions and memory.

 

Probiotics are good for the stomach and some studies suggest they could be good for your brain too. Plus, yummy treats are never a bad thing.

 

 

 

17) Install SuperMemo

If you want to commit something to memory, the best time to recall it is the instant before you forget it. The flashcard program SuperMemo helps you catalog that important new data—and then reminds you to remember it at that perfect moment before it slips away.

 

The best time to recall something is the instant before you forget it. There is a flashcard program called “SuperMemo” that helps you catalog important new data and then reminds you to remember it at that perfect moment before it slips away.

 

 

 

18) See a Shakespeare Play

Reading the Bard has been shown to engage the brain more actively than most contemporary texts, but watching him can’t hurt either. This winter, go see Titus Andronicus in New York City or The Two Gentlemen of Verona in Washington, D.C.

 

Reading good ol’ Shakespeare has been shown to engage the brain more actively than most contemporary texts. I’m guessing that’s because many of us are trying to figure out what they’re talking about in the dialogue!

 

 

 

19) Refine Your Thinking

The brain has two distinct modes of thought, according to Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow. System 1 is fast and automatic; System 2 is slower and more effortful. Understand these two systems, Kahneman argues, and we may be able to detect our own lazy biases and make better choices.

 

According to author Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, system 1 is fast and automatic and system 2 is slower and more effortful. Kahneman says that by understanding these two systems we may be able to detect our own lazy biases and make better choices.

 

 

 

20) Hydrate

Sure, every doctor and trainer tells you this, and we will too: dehydration forces the brain to work harder and may dampen its planning ability.

 

It’s common knowledge – any high school coach will tell you. Dehydration forces your brain to work harder and may dampen its planning ability.

 

 

 

21) Check out iTunes U

Just because you don’t live in Princeton doesn’t mean you can’t audit an Ivy League course. Top-tier schools put their lectures online at iTunes U in everything from ancient philosophy to astrophysics.

 

Apple offers over a half million free lectures, videos films and other resources from some of the world’s best thinkers.

 

 

22) Visit your local Art Museum

Not only does it make you look smart, but viewing art has been shown to reduce stress, letting you focus on the things that really matter. This year’s must-see shows include Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern (April 4) and Cindy Sherman at MoMa (Feb. 26).

 

Most metropolitan areas have major art museums. Viewing art has been shown to reduce stress, plus it makes you look all smart and high-class.

 

 

 

23) Play a musical instrument

Strum chords, tickle the ivories, play a jug. Learning an instrument boosts IQ and increases activity in parts of the brain controlling memory and coordination.

 

Learning an instrument boosts your IQ and increases activity in parts of the brain controlling memory and coordination. Plus, its fun. Just learn in a place where no one else can hear you. Your loved ones and neighbors will thank you.

 

 

 

24) Write by Hand

Remember what that feels like? Brain scans show that handwriting engages more sections of the brain than typing. Bonus brain boost: it’s easier to remember something once you’ve written it down on paper.

 

I don’t know about you buy my handwriting has continually degraded over the years as I type almost every single word I ever write. Brain scans show that handwriting engages more sections of the brain than typing. Plus experts say it’s easier to remember something once you’ve written it down.

 

 

25) The Pomodoro Technique

This time-management method has nothing to do with pasta, but aims to make you productive using nothing more than a kitchen timer. Use it to help work in 25-minute blocks, taking a short break after each; the frequent rests aid mental agility.

This time-management method aims to make you productive using nothing more than a kitchen timer. Use it to work in 25-minute blocks, taking a short break after each; the frequent rest aids mental agility.

 

 

 

26) Zone Out

Let your mind wander. A string of studies suggests that zoning out, especially when you don’t consciously realize you’re doing it, allows the brain to work on important “big picture” thinking.

 

The rest of us may think there’s nothing going on in your head when you stare off into space. But studies suggest that “zoning out”, especially when you don’t consciously realize that you’re doing it, allows the brain to work on more important “big picture” thinking.

 

 

 

27) Drink Coffee

And don’t just drink one cup: women who drank four cups of coffee a day were less likely to suffer depression than women who drank just one cup a week. Other studies have shown coffee to bolster short-term memory.

 

Women who drank four cups of coffee a day were less likely to suffer depression than women who just drank one cup each week. Other studies have shown that coffee enhances your short-term memory.

 

 

 

28) Delay Gratification

Studies have found that children who were able to resist a marshmallow placed in front of them turned out, years later, to have higher SAT scores than students who snatched it up. The more successful children didn’t necessarily have a natural gift for patience; they controlled their attention by focusing on something else, like singing a song.

 

Studies have shown that children who were able to resist a marshmallow placed in front of them went on years later to have higher SAT scores than the students who snatched up the puffy white treat.

 

 

 

29) Become an Expert

Master one task you really enjoy and your brain will perform more efficiently when you do it. Chess whizzes, for example, recognize patterns more quickly than amateurs. Expertise is not innate—practice, as the old saw goes, does make perfect.

 

Mastering one task you enjoy puts your brain in its happy zone. Chess experts, for example, recognize patters more quickly than amateurs. Practice makes perfect, but you already knew that.

 

 

 

30) Write Reviews online

Anyone can be a critic on the Internet—and you should too. When you like or hate something, review it on Amazon, Yelp, whatever. Typing out your opinion will help you to better understand your own thinking.

 

Everyone is a critic and ANYONE can be a critic online. When you review something, whether you love it or hate it, writing out your opinion helps you better understand your own thinking.

 

 

 

31) Get Out of Town

Life in a big city can drive you to distraction, writes science journalist Jonah Lehrer. Spending just a few minutes on a crowded street impairs memory and self-control, as your brain processes all the stimuli. So plan a weekend getaway: getting in touch with nature helps the brain to recover.

 

Life in a big city can drive you to distraction. spending just a few moments on a crowded city street impairs memory and self-control, as your brain processes all the stimuli. Plan a getaway and get in touch with nature to give your noggin a chance to recover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/12/30/31-ways-to-get-smarter-in-2012.item-1.html

http://wirk.radio.com/2012/01/05/31-ways-to-get-smarter-in-2012/