I just read a fascinating book called "How God Changes Your Brain." It's a new book by a neuroscientist about his research on what happens to your brain when you participate in spiritual activities. All of their studies concluded that religious experiences are really good for your brain and help to make it healthy, wealthy, and wise. In fact, here's a list they came up with of the eight best ways to maintain a healthy brain:
8. Smile. Seriously - smiling interrupts mood disorders and strengthens the brain's neural ability to maintain a positive outlook on life.
7. Stay intellectually active. Read books, watch educational tv, take classes, play chess, write in your diary. But don't do math exercises or crossword puzzles - apparently those don't help.
6. Consciously relax. Um, not by taking a nap or vegging in front of the tv, unfortunately. Try simple, repetitive activities such as knitting.
5. Yawn. That's right - yawning is good for you. It evokes neural activity in areas of the brain that are directly involved in generating social awareness and creating feelings of empathy. It relaxes you and brings you into a heightened state of cognitive awareness.
4. Meditate. There's even solid, scientific proof that if you meditate before taking a test you will significantly improve your score.
3. Aerobic Exercise. Vigorous exercise strengthens every part of the brain and has been proven to lengthen your neurological life. Also, the more intense exercise, the better. 24-hour run, anyone?
2. Dialogue with Others. Not talking about the weather or gossiping about who's dating whom. We're talking about abstract ideals like world peace and evolution and the beauty of the number pi.
1. Faith. Faith can be defined as the ability to trust our beliefs, even when we have no proof that such beliefs are accurate or true. Faith is equivalent with hope, optimism, and the belief that a positive future awaits us. It is "neurologically essential for maintaining motivation and good mental health."
6. Consciously relax. Um, not by taking a nap or vegging in front of the tv, unfortunately. Try simple, repetitive activities such as knitting.
5. Yawn. That's right - yawning is good for you. It evokes neural activity in areas of the brain that are directly involved in generating social awareness and creating feelings of empathy. It relaxes you and brings you into a heightened state of cognitive awareness.
4. Meditate. There's even solid, scientific proof that if you meditate before taking a test you will significantly improve your score.
3. Aerobic Exercise. Vigorous exercise strengthens every part of the brain and has been proven to lengthen your neurological life. Also, the more intense exercise, the better. 24-hour run, anyone?
2. Dialogue with Others. Not talking about the weather or gossiping about who's dating whom. We're talking about abstract ideals like world peace and evolution and the beauty of the number pi.
1. Faith. Faith can be defined as the ability to trust our beliefs, even when we have no proof that such beliefs are accurate or true. Faith is equivalent with hope, optimism, and the belief that a positive future awaits us. It is "neurologically essential for maintaining motivation and good mental health."
That's it. Now you can all go out and become geniuses.
Did it, done. Although I will never "dialogue with others" on "the beauty of the number pi". You can trust me on that.
ReplyDelete24 hour run did me a lot of good then.
ReplyDeletegood to know! you are just so full of knowledge
ReplyDeleteI liked this post, it was interesting. I like hearing about what people learn from books they've read.
ReplyDelete