Tune up the human brain

Did you ever think about giving your brain a tune-up? Think of the human brain as a miniature version of the entire body. Just as the body needs healthy food, exercise and sufficient rest to be strong and healthy, so does the brain. The human brain can continue to grow and change during our entire life, if we want it to. A key to tuning up the human brain is having a desire to keep it sharp. The mind needs to learning, and building new neurons and synapses. If it is not growing, then it atrophies.

Brain Exercise involves learning and thinking. You may have heard that doing puzzles is good for keeping the brain sharp. That is only part of the tune up. Doing puzzles, that are challenging, will help keep the brain sharp. Working puzzles that are easy for you will not be sufficient. Dancing is another good method for keeping the human brain in tune. Learning a new dance involves physical movement, attention, and often emotions; the stimulation and growth is faster when there are many elements involved.

Think about how children learn. If they are only memorizing facts from a book, it takes a while to learn. When they are emotionally involved in a story, when it is turned into music or a play, they learn the same facts much faster. They retain the information longer. How many songs do you remember from your teenage years? Did you sing or dance to the songs? You may never forget those songs. We need to continue learning like this all our lives.

To be exercise for the human brain, it must involve learning. It can be a new way to do something, or learning something brand new. Both the medical and electronic games industry have been developing games and devices to help stimulate thinking, build cognitive skills and improve memory. Experts at how the human brain works have developed online programs like Lumosity.

Exercise with a group of friends. Arrange regular meetings where you can engage in new learning activities. Book clubs, bridge clubs, or game nights all can provide stimulating mental exercise. The key is to be involved in something that requires you to stretch your thinking.

The human brain is not simply an organ of learning and organization. It has the capacity to continue growing and building new pathways throughout life. There are many ways to strengthen our brains. It is important to have regular tune-ups to keep it in top condition.