Get Your Neurons in Gear- How to Think Faster
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anonymoushelper00001Get Your Neurons in Gear- How to Think Faster
Uploaded by
anonymoushelper00001Get Your Neurons in Gear: How to Think Faster
Did you know that smart people actually think faster than “regular” people do? That’s the
conclusion of a 2009 twin study at UCLA that scanned specific parts of the brain using Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI). The smarter the person, the faster the mental speed.
For me, this begs the question: does being smart make you think faster, or does thinking faster
make you smarter? The jury’s still out on that, but I suspect a bit of both. Intelligence does run in
families, but plenty of people without profound mental gifts have proven they can learn to think
faster. Everyone wants to think faster, right? We may not end up rivaling Hawking or Einstein in
terms of sheer brainpower, but we can certainly boost our baseline thinking speed.
Rising to the Challenge
We humans have a specialty—the same sense that birds fly or spiders weave webs—our ability
to adapt and learn. And as with almost anything, you can hack your brainpower and speed the
flow of information. How? Think fast!
1. Focus. You probably expected this one. By now, you probably realize you can be more
productive when you focus tightly on one issue to the exclusion of everything else. You can’t
keep it up indefinitely, but for an hour or so at a time, you can certainly home in like a laser on
what matters most. When you fall into a focus trance, you boost your thinking speed. I use a
regular kitchen timer and set it for 45-minute focus sessions, which really helps me get “in the
zone.”
2. Take acting classes. I’ll bet you didn’t expect this one. But acting classes really do help you
maintain your mental footing. I learned to think faster on my feet through improv exercises.
Improv classes have helped my speaking ability in many ways: projecting confidence,
maintaining poise when faced with a difficult audience member, and responding more quickly to
audience questions. I’ve encouraged all three of my children to take drama classes and get used
to performing in front of groups of people. Being fast on your feet will be especially helpful
during challenging situations, like a sales presentation where the client is asking tough questions.
If nothing else, the classes will teach you how to respond to questions in ways that give you
more time to answer.
3. Exercise your memory. Although your brain isn’t a muscle, giving it a workout will help it
develop it. Your brain cells will forge new connections between each other, increasing speed of
access to both information and reasoning ability. You’ll find plenty of websites online to help
you stretch your mental muscles, and of course, there are logic puzzles galore that will keep your
neurons active. New research suggests that crossword puzzles increase language fluency, but
they don’t develop your mind. If you like crosswords, try the tough British-style puzzles where
you have to figure out the clues before you can even guess the words.
4. Eat dark chocolate. No kidding! Dark chocolate contains not just flavinoids and antioxidants,
which provide various health benefits, it also stimulates your brain’s natural production of
dopamine, which has been shown to increase learning speed and memory. Now, I’m not talking
Get Your Neurons in Gear: How to Think Faster
about devouring a handful of Hershey’s Kisses; they contain far too much sugar and milk. Try
one of those bittersweet 70%+ chocolate bars instead. They may be pricey, but they’re worth it.
Meanwhile, eating well in general will help you feel better, making it easier to think; and eating
plenty of fish and fresh produce in particular will also improve brain function.
5. Learn something new…and do it repeatedly. When you learn a new task, your brain rewires
itself, often with interesting consequences. Not only do you learn more, but you may also
develop shortcuts between neurons containing different information. When you repeat the task, it
helps burn those new pathways into your neural network. If necessary, start small and work your
way up. Interestingly, dancing seems to help Alzheimer’s patients; maybe it can help you think
faster while giving a business presentation as well (but not at the same time).
6. Learn a new language. This exposes you to a new way of thinking. Some linguistics and
neurologists believe our native languages establish our thought patterns for life. If that’s so, then
a new language—especially one radically different from your own—can really shake things up.
The Human Touch
There’s one challenge with the tips I’ve outlined above: they take a lot of time and effort. Many
people don’t want to be bothered, because time’s already in such short supply. But since even the
slightest increase in mental acuity will serve you well, so at the very least, develop and maintain
plenty of meaningful relationships in your life.
Spending time with family and friends tends to improve your mood and clear clogged mental
pathways. Talking things out with others willing to listen can help you frame your thoughts and
process data, as extroverts have always known. It can also help you relax—and that’s when your
subconscious mind will take over, grind through your problems, and present solutions when you
least expect them.
