The_Idler
Bluelighter
Pingu said:
holy shit, if it says so in the Daily Mail,
I would immediately begin integrating this advice into your life!
-
H&R Moderators: streaM Freak
how to get mentally sharp
- Thread starter bighooter
- Start date
holy shit, if it says so in the Daily Mail,
I would immediately begin integrating this advice into your life!
bighooter said:
studies suggest that music without a repetitive beat, such as baroque or classical (think Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart), activate your higher cognition centers, where as music such as rap or trance deactivate these centers.
Yellowcabs
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2008
- Messages
- 140
find an interest that stimulates you, something healthy. Working out, playing a sport, etc.
on a more basic level green tea, and mate help me stay alert.
on a more basic level green tea, and mate help me stay alert.
ebola?
Bluelight Crew
>>
studies suggest that music without a repetitive beat, such as baroque or classical (think Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart), activate your higher cognition centers, where as music such as rap or trance deactivate these centers.>>
What counts as non-repetitive?
Is my breakcore and technical death metal enhancing my cognition?
ebola
studies suggest that music without a repetitive beat, such as baroque or classical (think Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart), activate your higher cognition centers, where as music such as rap or trance deactivate these centers.>>
What counts as non-repetitive?
Is my breakcore and technical death metal enhancing my cognition?
ebola
Jamshyd
Bluelight Crew
I am pretty sure they are talking about the "untz untz untz" kinda music. So yes, in all likelihood your music is helping, assuming the theory is true.
The Japs take that theory so seriously (I will assume that its progenitor is Japanese) that classical music is played at schools in the morning and during breaks.
The Japs take that theory so seriously (I will assume that its progenitor is Japanese) that classical music is played at schools in the morning and during breaks.
pearly.bubble
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2008
- Messages
- 180
drink water, and lots of it... water helps flush toxins out of your body, ones that could potentially be holding you back..
im in an astronomy origins of the universe course at university and i can feel my mind expanding by the minute when im learning about new things i've never known before.
im in an astronomy origins of the universe course at university and i can feel my mind expanding by the minute when im learning about new things i've never known before.
ebola?
Bluelight Crew
Jammy:
I think (suspect?) that the relevant studies involved cookie-cutter 3:30 minute pop-tracks.
It's interesting how we are blind to our own superstitions but others' seem quaint.
ebola
I think (suspect?) that the relevant studies involved cookie-cutter 3:30 minute pop-tracks.
It's interesting how we are blind to our own superstitions but others' seem quaint.
ebola
Jabberwocky
Frumious Bandersnatch
helping oh really? what a cute assumption we have there.Jamshyd said:
Why is it GOOD to keep those 'higher cognitive areas' activated as much as possible (first of all I think the assumption that there ARE discrete areas that are 'higher cognitive areas' is bs but thats another point). Somebody who works very hard all day long and thinks and studies probably doesn't need those areas activated when she comes home from work.
Don't assume that the way somebody spins a study is necessarily the best way to view it.
/defends goa
Jamshyd
Bluelight Crew
*shrug* don't tell me that. I'm not the one who did the study, nor do I listen to either repetitive music or classical music. Nor do I work for the Japanese government, nor do I try to listen to any kind of music to make myself smarter.Gaian Planes said:
By "helping" I didn't mean doing anything positive necessarily. I meant helping do whatever it is that classical music does according to that study (which I never claimed was valid).
I keep recommending people not to post while high but who am I kidding?
Last edited:
The Monkey Mantra
Bluelighter
About the rap thing: Listening to really well-crafted rhymes is *very* stimulating to me. You can criticize all you want, but Eminem is a fucking genius! Biggie knows his way around weak alliteration, but it's the delivery and passion that rocks it.
Music that makes YOU feel good is what you should be listening to. Being in a good mood is far more conducive to thinking clearly than the dubious stimulation provided by some Mozart piece you're only ho-hum about. Not to diss on Mozart, 'cause he *is* pretty pimpin'.
Music that makes YOU feel good is what you should be listening to. Being in a good mood is far more conducive to thinking clearly than the dubious stimulation provided by some Mozart piece you're only ho-hum about. Not to diss on Mozart, 'cause he *is* pretty pimpin'.
calcabrina
Bluelighter
if I may offer some advice here.
It is of course important to be in good form (sleep, eat right, excercise) but if you want to get your brain tearing shit up like a samurai follow my advice:
first, you need to tackle new and interesting subjects. Hard ones too. Learn about astrophysics, economics, mechanics. Something severely challenging, something that can be fully understood. You could read about history or sociology if you wanted to but you will never be able to conquer them as they are somewhat subjective. I´m not saying you have to learn how to do advanced computations here, I´m just saying you have to give your brain a foe.
But the most important thing about being on top of your game is to look inward. Nobody ever stops to think about themselves or their immediate surroundings. This is a bad example, but how many steps are there leading to the second floor of your house? What you need to do to get your mind beefy is to link every section of your life together using the power of reflection. Once you understand yourself you will be 100 times more formidable. Things to think about: what motivates you? who are your friends, how do you help each other out, how are you connected to your community, what are your goals in life, how are your friends community and motivation helping you get there. You need to sit down and literally think for hours on end, draw out diagrams and you may come to some incredible new understandings on how your own mind and personality works. You may very well discover the meaning of life (hyper note: it´s different for everyone) I suggest you do all of this on a beach.
Oh, and my advice for getting out of a depression: do something that pushes your utmost emotional limit. I´m not sure if fear is an emotion, but that´s a good one to go for. It´s a catch 22 because you can´t motivate yourself to do this but if you reach that point you may very gain a new perspective on life.
Oh. And uh, don´t drink more than 2 beers/whiskeys/wines at a time. That´s why the rest of us are so dumb.
It is of course important to be in good form (sleep, eat right, excercise) but if you want to get your brain tearing shit up like a samurai follow my advice:
first, you need to tackle new and interesting subjects. Hard ones too. Learn about astrophysics, economics, mechanics. Something severely challenging, something that can be fully understood. You could read about history or sociology if you wanted to but you will never be able to conquer them as they are somewhat subjective. I´m not saying you have to learn how to do advanced computations here, I´m just saying you have to give your brain a foe.
But the most important thing about being on top of your game is to look inward. Nobody ever stops to think about themselves or their immediate surroundings. This is a bad example, but how many steps are there leading to the second floor of your house? What you need to do to get your mind beefy is to link every section of your life together using the power of reflection. Once you understand yourself you will be 100 times more formidable. Things to think about: what motivates you? who are your friends, how do you help each other out, how are you connected to your community, what are your goals in life, how are your friends community and motivation helping you get there. You need to sit down and literally think for hours on end, draw out diagrams and you may come to some incredible new understandings on how your own mind and personality works. You may very well discover the meaning of life (hyper note: it´s different for everyone) I suggest you do all of this on a beach.
Oh, and my advice for getting out of a depression: do something that pushes your utmost emotional limit. I´m not sure if fear is an emotion, but that´s a good one to go for. It´s a catch 22 because you can´t motivate yourself to do this but if you reach that point you may very gain a new perspective on life.
Oh. And uh, don´t drink more than 2 beers/whiskeys/wines at a time. That´s why the rest of us are so dumb.
I like this thread and the entire healthy living part to me they represent a step towards the right direction of independence and clarity.
With that said, I read this book on buddhist meditation that was really interesting. It was very philosophical, but very easy to understand concepts that made so much sense I found it fascinating. Certain kinds of meditation are known to increase your brain, and improve concentration and clarity. For example one type of meditation you just focus on one point on your body for indefinite periods of time while meditiating between the other random thoughts that always pop up in the untrained mind. Good luck.
With that said, I read this book on buddhist meditation that was really interesting. It was very philosophical, but very easy to understand concepts that made so much sense I found it fascinating. Certain kinds of meditation are known to increase your brain, and improve concentration and clarity. For example one type of meditation you just focus on one point on your body for indefinite periods of time while meditiating between the other random thoughts that always pop up in the untrained mind. Good luck.
mariacallas
Bluelight Crew
*bump*
Heuristic
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2009
- Messages
- 3,263
This is an old thread, but there has been a fair amount of research, and new products, that has been developed with respect to "brain training" since its start, so I thought I'd add them.
You can find a brief overview of one study here: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/148519.php
Now it's a release by the company, so read with care, but the scientists doing the study are reputable. The product is designed by a company called "Posit Science," which was started, and is run, by a group of neuroscientists, some very prominent in the field.
To quote the release about the study:
A total of 487 healthy adults over the age of 65 participated in the randomized controlled trial, called the IMPACT Study. Half were assigned to a group that trained on a brain fitness software program for 40 hours over 8 weeks. The other half spent an equal amount of time attending to lectures via computer and answering quizzes.
The study found that participants who trained on the software, The Brain Fitness Program(tm) from Posit Science(r), more than doubled their processing speed, with an average increase of 131%. They also saw gains on standard measures of memory and attention of 10 years, on average. These changes were big enough that participants reported significant improvements in every day activities (such as remembering names or understanding conversations in noisy restaurants). The gains of the brain exercise group were clinically significant; the gains of the lecture group were significantly smaller and not clinically significant.
The Brain Fitness Program was developed by a global team of neuroscientists from Posit Science, and consists of six exercises. The product is based on the science of brain plasticity - the brain's ability to form new pathways in response to the right kind of stimulation.
Marlene Allen, aged 75, of Mill Valley, California participated in the brain exercises arm of the study. "Now I don't have to write down shopping lists. I remember what I need at the store," Ms. Allen said. "And I almost never walk into a room and forget why anymore."
"The changes we saw in the experimental group were remarkable and significantly larger than the gains in the control group," said Dr. Zelinski, PhD. "From a researcher's point of view, this was very impressive because people got better at the tasks trained, those improvements generalized to standardized measures of memory and people noticed improvements in their lives. What this means is that cognitive decline is no longer an inevitable part of aging. Doing properly designed cognitive activities can enhance our abilities as we age."
The IMPACT study is the largest study ever of a brain fitness program that is available to the public and the first published in a medical journal to show improvements in memory and attention. It was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in April.. The new data shows that the gains persisted even three months after training ended.
Now all that said...
OP, how do you know that your mental abilities have actually declined? What you're describing could simply be a symptom of a persistent negative perception of yourself, common if not universal to depression, than a symptom of a cognitive deficit. If you're young, it's very unlikely that you're actually experiencing any cognitive deficits.
Also, regarding exercise, cardio has been shown to increase neurogenesis, and brain size. Weight-lifting, so far as I am aware, has not. Keep lifting, but add in cardio. No one is sure why... I personally think it may have something to do with the fact that the process of neurogenesis relies on blood flow, and cardio vastly increases blood flow to the brain.
Don't worry about the guys who say that doing cardio will cut down on your bulk and such. Unless you plan on entering a Mr. Universe competition, this is something not to worry about.
You can find a brief overview of one study here: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/148519.php
Now it's a release by the company, so read with care, but the scientists doing the study are reputable. The product is designed by a company called "Posit Science," which was started, and is run, by a group of neuroscientists, some very prominent in the field.
To quote the release about the study:
A total of 487 healthy adults over the age of 65 participated in the randomized controlled trial, called the IMPACT Study. Half were assigned to a group that trained on a brain fitness software program for 40 hours over 8 weeks. The other half spent an equal amount of time attending to lectures via computer and answering quizzes.
The study found that participants who trained on the software, The Brain Fitness Program(tm) from Posit Science(r), more than doubled their processing speed, with an average increase of 131%. They also saw gains on standard measures of memory and attention of 10 years, on average. These changes were big enough that participants reported significant improvements in every day activities (such as remembering names or understanding conversations in noisy restaurants). The gains of the brain exercise group were clinically significant; the gains of the lecture group were significantly smaller and not clinically significant.
The Brain Fitness Program was developed by a global team of neuroscientists from Posit Science, and consists of six exercises. The product is based on the science of brain plasticity - the brain's ability to form new pathways in response to the right kind of stimulation.
Marlene Allen, aged 75, of Mill Valley, California participated in the brain exercises arm of the study. "Now I don't have to write down shopping lists. I remember what I need at the store," Ms. Allen said. "And I almost never walk into a room and forget why anymore."
"The changes we saw in the experimental group were remarkable and significantly larger than the gains in the control group," said Dr. Zelinski, PhD. "From a researcher's point of view, this was very impressive because people got better at the tasks trained, those improvements generalized to standardized measures of memory and people noticed improvements in their lives. What this means is that cognitive decline is no longer an inevitable part of aging. Doing properly designed cognitive activities can enhance our abilities as we age."
The IMPACT study is the largest study ever of a brain fitness program that is available to the public and the first published in a medical journal to show improvements in memory and attention. It was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in April.. The new data shows that the gains persisted even three months after training ended.
Now all that said...
OP, how do you know that your mental abilities have actually declined? What you're describing could simply be a symptom of a persistent negative perception of yourself, common if not universal to depression, than a symptom of a cognitive deficit. If you're young, it's very unlikely that you're actually experiencing any cognitive deficits.
Also, regarding exercise, cardio has been shown to increase neurogenesis, and brain size. Weight-lifting, so far as I am aware, has not. Keep lifting, but add in cardio. No one is sure why... I personally think it may have something to do with the fact that the process of neurogenesis relies on blood flow, and cardio vastly increases blood flow to the brain.
Don't worry about the guys who say that doing cardio will cut down on your bulk and such. Unless you plan on entering a Mr. Universe competition, this is something not to worry about.
Heuristic
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2009
- Messages
- 3,263
^ sorry, couldn't help but add one more thing. The OP mentioned he was taking citalopram. There is some evidence that this enhances the formation of long-term memories---weak evidence, since, as with so many medical studies, the number of subjects is very small, and the controls only weakly established---and strong evidence that this medication, and other SSRIs, promote neurogenesis in key areas of the brain. Of course, there is also some evidence that SSRIs---again very weak evidence---very slightly reduces short-term episodic memory, without impacting, or slightly enhancing, other forms of memory and cognitive performance.
Bottom line is that it's likely you're not suffering any cognitive deficits. You may have lingering self-perception issues resulting from the depression, or perhaps a tinge of social anxiety which causes you to be more harshly, and inacccurately, critical of your performance than you should be. I noticed that you said you seemed worried about cognitive decline because you weren't as "witty" as you once were. That definitely sounds like social anxiety to me, and not a symptom of a cognitive deficit.
Bottom line is that it's likely you're not suffering any cognitive deficits. You may have lingering self-perception issues resulting from the depression, or perhaps a tinge of social anxiety which causes you to be more harshly, and inacccurately, critical of your performance than you should be. I noticed that you said you seemed worried about cognitive decline because you weren't as "witty" as you once were. That definitely sounds like social anxiety to me, and not a symptom of a cognitive deficit.
!!!
Changed
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2006
- Messages
- 2,974
read pretty much any book by Alan Watts. The Wisdom of Insecurity is a good start.
the OP said he can't stand the silence: meditate!! you'll have to force yourself to endure the silence. after a while, you'll begin to appreciate the stillness. like the beginning of The Island: Will is visibly shaken by his recent crash landing on Pala. He is trembling, crying, and depressed. Mary, a small child wise beyond her years, forces him to repeat the events that shook him: "I fell. I fell! I fell! I was climbing and I fell!" Eventually he finds that those traumatizing events are in his past. That bird keeps squawking, "Attention! Attention!" and he realizes that the only way to be mentally awake is to live in the "here and now."
Find that silence, embrace it, become comfortable with yourself. Then do all the other great suggestions from this thread.
the OP said he can't stand the silence: meditate!! you'll have to force yourself to endure the silence. after a while, you'll begin to appreciate the stillness. like the beginning of The Island: Will is visibly shaken by his recent crash landing on Pala. He is trembling, crying, and depressed. Mary, a small child wise beyond her years, forces him to repeat the events that shook him: "I fell. I fell! I fell! I was climbing and I fell!" Eventually he finds that those traumatizing events are in his past. That bird keeps squawking, "Attention! Attention!" and he realizes that the only way to be mentally awake is to live in the "here and now."
Find that silence, embrace it, become comfortable with yourself. Then do all the other great suggestions from this thread.