The brain is a three-pound supercomputer. It is the command and control center running your life. It is involved in absolutely everything you do. Your brain determines how you think, how you feel, how you act, and how well you get along with other people. Your brain even determines the kind of person you are. It determines how thoughtful you are; how polite or how rude you are. It determines how well you think on your feet, and it is involved with how well you do at work and with your family. Your brain also influences your emotional well being and how well you do with the opposite sex.
Brain PowerYour brain is more complicated than any computer we can imagine. Did you know that you have one hundred billion nerve cells in your brain, and every nerve cell has many connections to other nerve cells? In fact, your brain has more connections in it than there are stars in the universe! Optimizing your brain’s function is essential to being the best you can be, whether at work, in leisure, or in your relationships.
It’s simple, your brain is at the center of everything you do, all you feel and think, and every nuance of how you relate to people. It’s both the supercomputer that runs your complex life and the tender organ that houses your soul. And while you may run, lift weights, or do yoga to keep your body in good condition, chances are you ignore your brain and trust it to do its job.
No matter what your age, mental exercise has a global, positive effect on the brain. So, here are 22 ways to boost your brain power:
大腦是一個(gè)三磅重的超級計算機，它是使你正常生活的命令和控制中心，完全參與你所做的每一件事。你的大腦決定你如何思考、如何感知、如何行動(dòng)以及如何與其他人和平相處。你的大腦甚至決定你是哪種人，它決定你是如何深思熟慮的、如何禮貌或如何粗魯的，它決定你能多好地獨立思考，它影響你能多好地工作和與家人相處。你的大腦也影響你的情感幸福，以及你能和異性相處多融洽。
Brain你的大腦比我們可以想象的任何計算機都復雜。你知道在你的大腦里有1000億個(gè)神經(jīng)細胞，并且每個(gè)神經(jīng)細胞都和其它細胞有著(zhù)千絲萬(wàn)縷的連接么？事實(shí)上，你的大腦里的連接比宇宙中的繁星都多！優(yōu)化你的大腦機能實(shí)質(zhì)就是成為最好的自己，無(wú)論在工作、休息或關(guān)系方面。
這很簡(jiǎn)單，你的大腦是你做任何事情、你的所有感官思維、你與他人關(guān)系的微妙差異的關(guān)鍵。它是管理你復雜生活的超級計算機，同時(shí)也是儲藏你精神的脆弱器官。當你可以奔跑、舉重或做瑜伽來(lái)保持體型的時(shí)候，有可能你忽視了你的大腦，信任它的工作。
無(wú)論你的年齡、思維訓練對你的大腦有什么綜合的、積極的影響，這里有22條途徑來(lái)提高你的腦力：
1. Run Up Your Brain Cells
Research suggests that people who get plenty of physical exercise can wind up with better brains. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., found that adult mice who ran on an exercise wheel whenever they felt like it gained twice as many new cells in the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in learning and memory, than mice who sat around all day discussing Lord of the Rings in Internet chat rooms. The researchers weren’t sure why the more active rodents’ brains reacted the way they did, but it’s possible that the voluntary nature of the exercise made it less stressful and therefore more beneficial. Which could mean that finding ways to enjoy exercise, rather than just forcing yourself to do it, may make you smarter - and happier, too.
So, play a sport, train for an event such as a marathon, triathlon or “fun run,” or work out with a buddy to help keep things interesting.
1. 提升你的腦細胞數量
研究顯示，有充足體力活動(dòng)的人們能獲得更好的大腦。薩克生物研究學(xué)院(La Jolla,Calif)的科學(xué)家發(fā)現無(wú)論何時(shí)檢測在活動(dòng)輪上奔跑的成年老鼠都會(huì )發(fā)現它們海馬區（大腦的一個(gè)區域，涉及學(xué)習和記憶）的細胞比那些只是坐著(zhù)不動(dòng)、整天在網(wǎng)絡(luò )聊天室談?wù)撝腑h(huán)王的那些老鼠新增了一倍。研究人員不確定為什么更多活躍的嚙齒類(lèi)動(dòng)物的大腦反映了這種情況，但有可能是運動(dòng)的自愿性使運動(dòng)者的緊張情緒更低，因而對運動(dòng)者而言更為有益。這可能意味著(zhù)從運動(dòng)中找尋樂(lè )趣、而不是僅僅強迫自己去做它可能使你變得更聰明- 也更快樂(lè )。
所以，玩項運動(dòng)，參加馬拉松、三項全能或"募捐長(cháng)跑"等競賽項目的訓練，或和好朋友一起工作來(lái)幫助使事情變得有趣。
2. Exercise Your Mind
It isn’t just physical exercise that gets those brain cells jumping. Just like those head-pumped cabbies and piano jockeys, you can build up various areas of your brain by putting them to work. Duke University neurobiology professor Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D., co-author of Keep Your Brain Alive, says that finding simple ways to use aspects of your brain that may be lagging could help maintain both nerve cells and dendrites, branches on the cells that receive and process information. Just as a new weightlifting exercise builds up underused muscles, Katz says that novel ways of thinking and viewing the world can improve the functioning of inactive sections of the brain.
Experience new tastes and smells; try to do things with your nondominant hand; find new ways to drive to work; travel to new places; create art; read that Dostoyevsky novel; write a buddy comedy for Ted Kennedy and Rush Limbaugh - basically, do anything you can to force yourself out of your mental ruts.
2. 鍛煉你的思維
不僅體力活動(dòng)能使那些腦細胞跳動(dòng)起來(lái)。就像那些head-pumped cabbies和彈鋼琴的，你可以通過(guò)使大腦的不同區域工作來(lái)增大它們。杜克大學(xué)的神經(jīng)生物學(xué)教授Lawrence C. Katz（博士，Keep Your Brain Alive的同作者）說(shuō)，尋找簡(jiǎn)單方法來(lái)使用大腦的可能遲鈍的方面可能有助于維護神經(jīng)細胞和突起（細胞的分支，用以接受和處理信息）。就像新的舉重運動(dòng)增大未充分利用的肌肉，Katz說(shuō)用新奇的方法來(lái)思考和審視這個(gè)世界可以提高大腦怠惰區域的功能。
體驗新的味覺(jué)和嗅覺(jué)；嘗試用你非慣用的手做事情；找新路徑開(kāi)車(chē)去公司；去陌生的地方旅行；創(chuàng )造藝術(shù)；閱讀杜斯妥也夫斯基的小說(shuō)；為T(mén)ed Kennedy和Rush Limbaugh寫(xiě)一篇兄弟喜劇（buddy comedy）-基本上，就是強迫自己做那些常規思維之外的事情。
3. Ask Why
Our brains are wired to be curious. As we grow up and “mature” many of us stifle or deny our natural curiosity. Let yourself be curious! Wonder to yourself about why things are happening. Ask someone in the know. The best way to exercise our curiosity is by asking “Why?” Make it a new habit to ask “why?” at least 10 times a day. Your brain will be happier and you will be amazed at how many opportunities and solutions will show up in your life and work.
3. 問(wèn)為什么
我們的大腦對好奇總是精力充沛的。隨著(zhù)我們長(cháng)大"成熟"，許多人遏止或拒絕我們好奇的天性。讓自己變得好奇！好奇于事情為什么會(huì )發(fā)生，問(wèn)那些知道的人。鍛煉我們好奇心的最佳途徑是問(wèn)一句"為什么？"。養成一天至少問(wèn)10遍"為什么"的新習慣。你的大腦將會(huì )更快樂(lè )，并且你將會(huì )吃驚于你的生活和工作會(huì )有多少機遇和解決方案。
4. Laugh
Scientists tell us that laughter is good for our health; that it releases endorphins and other positively powerful chemicals into our system. We don’t really need scientists to tell us that it feels good to laugh. Laughing helps us reduce stress and break old patterns too. So laughter can be like a “quick-charge” for our brain’s batteries. Laugh more, and laugh harder.
4. 大笑
科學(xué)家告訴我們，笑對我們的健康有好處；它釋放內啡肽和其他含積極能量的化學(xué)物質(zhì)到我們的肌體。我們事實(shí)上不需要科學(xué)家告訴我們笑的感覺(jué)很不錯。笑幫助我們減小壓力，也打破舊有模式。故而笑能像我們大腦電池的一個(gè)"快速充電器"。經(jīng)常笑，大聲笑
5. Be A Fish Head
Omega-3 oils, found in walnuts, flaxseed and especially fish, have long been touted as being healthy for the heart. But recent research suggests they’re a brain booster as well, and not just because they help the circulation system that pumps oxygen to your head. They also seem to improve the function of the membranes that surround brain cells, which may be why people who consume a lot of fish are less likely to suffer depression, dementia, even attention-deficit disorder. Scientists have noted that essential fatty acids are necessary for proper brain development in children, and they’re now being added to baby formulas. It’s possible that your own mental state, and even your intelligence, can be enhanced by consuming enough of these oils.
Eating at least three servings a week of fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna is a good start.
5. 做一個(gè)魚(yú)頭
發(fā)現于胡桃、亞麻籽、尤其是魚(yú)體內的歐米伽-3 油，長(cháng)久以來(lái)被認為有益于心臟的。但是最近研究顯示，它們也是大腦促進(jìn)劑，不僅因為它們有助于循環(huán)系統往你的大腦里壓入氧氣，它們看起來(lái)也改善環(huán)繞大腦細胞的薄膜的官能，這可能是為什么食用大量魚(yú)類(lèi)的人更不易于罹患抑郁癥、癡呆病、甚至兒童多動(dòng)癥。科學(xué)家注意到，必要的脂肪酸對兒童大腦的完全發(fā)育是必須的，它們現在被添加進(jìn)嬰兒配方。有可能通過(guò)食用足夠的這些油來(lái)增強你的精神狀態(tài)、甚至你的智力水平。
開(kāi)始可以每星期至少吃三次鮭魚(yú)、沙丁魚(yú)、鯖魚(yú)和金槍魚(yú)等。
6. Remember
Get out an old photo album or high school yearbook. Your brain is a memory machine, so give it a chance to work! Spend time with your memories. Let your mind reflect on them and your mind will repay you in positive emotions and new connections from the memories to help you with your current tasks and challenges.
6. 回憶
取出一個(gè)老影集或高中年鑒。你的大腦是一個(gè)記憶機器，所以給它一個(gè)工作的機會(huì )！花一些時(shí)間來(lái)回憶，讓你的記憶將沉思它們，并且回饋你以積極的情緒，并在記憶里建立新的連接，這將有助于你當前的工作和挑戰。
7. Cut The Fat
Can “bad” fats make you dumb? When researchers at the University of Toronto put rats on a 40-percent-fat diet, the rats lost ground in several areas of mental function, including memory, spatial awareness and rule learning. The problems became worse with a diet high in saturated fats, the kind that’s abundant in meat and dairy products. While you may never be called upon to navigate a little maze in search of a cheddar cube, these results could hold true for you as well, for two reasons: Fat can reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your brain, and it may also slow down the metabolism of glucose, the form of sugar the brain utilizes as food.
You can still get up to 30 percent of your daily calories in the form of fat, but most of it should come from the aforementioned fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds. Whatever you do, stay away from trans fats, the hardened oils that are abundant in crackers and snack foods.
7. 減肥
有害的"脂肪"能使你傻乎乎么？當多倫多大學(xué)的研究人員使老鼠增加40%的脂肪，老鼠在腦功能的幾個(gè)區域有所減退，包括記憶、空間識別和口令學(xué)習。如果食用高度飽和脂肪，肉類(lèi)和奶制品里富含這種脂肪，問(wèn)題將會(huì )更一步惡化。雖然你不可能被要求穿越一個(gè)小迷宮來(lái)尋找乳酪塊，但這些結果仍對你有效，兩個(gè)原因：脂肪能減少富含氧氣的血液輸送到大腦的流量，它也可能減緩葡萄糖的新陳代謝，葡萄糖是大腦養料的一種糖類(lèi)。
你仍可以以脂肪的形式攝取日需卡路里的30%，但大部分應該來(lái)自上述的魚(yú)類(lèi)，橄欖油、堅果和種子。無(wú)論你做什么，遠離逆態(tài)脂肪（trans fat），它是餅干和零食里富含的一種硬化油。
8. Do A Puzzle
Some of us like jigsaw puzzles, some crossword puzzles, some logic puzzles - it really doesn’t matter kind you choose to do. Doing puzzles in your free time is a great way to activate your brain and keep it in good working condition. Do the puzzle for fun, but do it knowing you are exercising your brain.
8. 解決難題
一些人喜歡拼圖，一些人喜歡組字，一些人喜歡邏輯- 這委實(shí)和你選擇的種類(lèi)無(wú)關(guān)。賦閑時(shí)解決一些難題是一種活化你的大腦并使之保持工作狀態(tài)的良好途徑。以解決難題為樂(lè )，但要認識到做它是為了鍛煉你的大腦。
9. The Mozart Effect
A decade ago Frances Rauscher, a psychologist now at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and her colleagues made waves with the discovery that listening to Mozart improved people’s mathematical and spatial reasoning. Even rats ran mazes faster and more accurately after hearing Mozart than after white noise or music by the minimalist composer Philip Glass. Last year, Rauscher reported that, for rats at least, a Mozart piano sonata seems to stimulate activity in three genes involved in nerve-cell signalling in the brain.
This sounds like the most harmonious way to tune up your mental faculties. But before you grab the CDs, hear this note of caution. Not everyone who has looked for the Mozart effect has found it. What’s more, even its proponents tend to think that music boosts brain power simply because it makes listeners feel better - relaxed and stimulated at the same time - and that a comparable stimulus might do just as well. In fact, one study found that listening to a story gave a similar performance boost.
9. 莫扎特效應
十年前，Frances Rauscher（現在是威斯康星大學(xué)的心理學(xué)家）和她的同事因為發(fā)現聽(tīng)莫扎特的音樂(lè )能增強人類(lèi)的數學(xué)和空間推理能力而在世界上掀起很大轟動(dòng)。甚至老鼠在聽(tīng)完莫扎特之后在穿越迷宮時(shí)都比那些只聽(tīng)了些白噪聲或抽象派作曲家Philip Glass寫(xiě)的音樂(lè )的老鼠更加迅速和精確。去年，Rauscher報告，至少對老鼠而言，一首莫扎特鋼琴奏鳴曲似乎激活了涉及大腦里傳輸信號的神經(jīng)細胞的三種基因。
這聽(tīng)起來(lái)像是調節腦力最和諧的方法。但在你抓取CD之前，聽(tīng)一下注意事項。不是每個(gè)人期待莫扎特效應的人都會(huì )感覺(jué)到它。況且，甚至它的支持者趨向于認為，音樂(lè )促進(jìn)腦力僅僅因為它使傾聽(tīng)者感覺(jué)更好- 傾聽(tīng)的同時(shí)同時(shí)身心松弛，大腦受到刺激- 同等的刺激物能達到同樣效果。事實(shí)上，一項研究發(fā)現，聽(tīng)故事時(shí)大腦能獲得同樣效果的促進(jìn)。
10. Improve Your Skill At Things You Already Do
Some repetitive mental stimulation is ok as long as you look to expand your skills and knowledge base. Common activities such as gardening, sewing, playing bridge, reading, painting, and doing crossword puzzles have value, but push yourself to do different gardening techniques, more complex sewing patterns, play bridge against more talented players to increase your skill, read new authors on varied subjects, learn a new painting technique, and work harder crossword puzzles. Pushing your brain to new heights help to keep it healthy.
10. 提高你重復做事情的能力
只要你期待擴展你的能力和知識儲備，一些重復性的大腦刺激是不錯的方法。通常的活動(dòng)，比如園藝、縫紉、玩橋牌、閱讀、繪畫(huà)和做組字游戲都有效果，但是強迫自己去練習不同的園藝技術(shù)、更復雜的縫紉式樣、和更有天資的玩家玩橋牌來(lái)增進(jìn)技藝、閱讀不同主題的新作家的作品、學(xué)習一種新的繪畫(huà)技術(shù)、玩更難的組字游戲。強迫你的大腦到達新的高度有助于使它保持健康。
11. Be A Thinker, Not A Drinker
The idea that alcohol kills brain cells is an old one, but the reality is a bit more complicated. In fact, a study of 3,500 Japanese men found that those who drank moderately (in this case, about one drink per day) had better cognitive functioning when they got older than those who didn’t drink at all. Unfortunately, as soon as you get beyond that “moderate” amount, your memory, reaction time is all likely to decline. In the same study, men who had four or more drinks a day fared worst of all.
Just as bad is the now common practice of “binge drinking,” otherwise known as getting hammered on the weekend. Research on rats found that those who consumed large amounts of alcohol had fewer new cells in their brains’ hippocampus region immediately after the binge, and virtually none a month later. This suggests that the alcohol not only damaged the rats’ brains, but kept them from repairing themselves later on - in human terms, that means you shouldn’t expect to pass the Mensa entrance exam any time soon.
11. 做一個(gè)思考者，而不是酒徒
酒精破壞腦細胞的思想已經(jīng)過(guò)時(shí)了，但現實(shí)更為復雜些。事實(shí)上，一個(gè)由3500個(gè)日本人所參與的實(shí)驗發(fā)現，適當飲酒的人（這里指大約每天喝一次）當他們變老后，他們的認知能力比起那些根本不喝酒的人更好一些。不幸的是，一旦你超過(guò)了那個(gè)"適當的"數量，你的記憶力、反應力都有可能衰退。同一研究表明，一天飲酒次數四次以上的人情況惡化最快。
同樣壞的情況是目前"豪飲"的風(fēng)氣，另一種說(shuō)法是在周末酩酊大醉。老鼠研究發(fā)現，大量飲酒的老鼠在剛剛豪飲完畢后，事實(shí)上一個(gè)星期之后也是這樣，其大腦海馬區的新生細胞比其它老鼠更少。這個(gè)研究表明，酒精不但破壞老鼠的大腦，而且抑制其日后自我恢復- 對人類(lèi)而言，這意味著(zhù)你不可能期望以后的任何時(shí)候再通過(guò)門(mén)薩入門(mén)測試（譯者注：一種智力測試，mensa）。
12. Play
Take time to play. Make time to play. Play cards. Play video games. Play board games. Play Ring Around the Rosie. Play tug of war. It doesn’t matter what you play. Just play! It is good for your spirit and good for your brain. It gives your brain a chance to think strategically, and keeps it working.
12. 玩
花點(diǎn)時(shí)間去玩，擠出時(shí)間去玩。玩撲克、玩視頻游戲、玩棋盤(pán)游戲、玩暗夜來(lái)電（譯者注：ring around the rosie，電影名）、玩拔河。你玩什么都無(wú)所謂。只要在玩！這對你的精神和大腦都有好處。它使你的大腦有機會(huì )出謀劃策。
13. Sleep On It
Previewing key information and then sleeping on it increases retention 20 to 30 percent. You can leave that information next to the bed for easy access, if it is something that won’t keep you awake. If you are kept awake by your thoughts, writing everything down sometimes gets it “out of your mind,” allowing you to sleep (so keep a pen and paper nearby).
13. 拖到第二天解決
預覽重要信息之后把其它留到第二天記憶，這使記憶保留增加20%到30%。你可以把信息放在床邊以便隨意查看，如果閱讀它不能使你保持清醒，如果你被想法纏絆而無(wú)法入睡，把每件事寫(xiě)下來(lái)，把它們"驅逐出你的大腦"，這會(huì )使你能夠睡眠（所以要在附近放一支筆和一張紙）。
14. Concentration
Concentration can increase brainpower. Obvious, perhaps, but the thieves of concentration are not always so obvious. Learn to notice when you are distracted. Often the cause is just below consciousness. If there is a phone call you need to make, for example, it might bother you all morning, sapping your ability to think clearly, even while you are unaware of what is bothering you.
Get in the habit of stopping to ask “What is on my mind right now”. Identify it and deal with it. In the example given, you could make the phone call, or put it on tomorrow’s list, so your mind is comfortable letting it go for now. This leaves you in a more relaxed state where you can think more clearly. Use this technique to increase your brainpower now.
14. 專(zhuān)注
專(zhuān)注能增進(jìn)腦力。或許很明顯，但注意力的小偷不總是那么明顯。學(xué)習在你心煩意亂時(shí)多加留心，引起心煩的原因常常是位于潛意識里的。比如你需要接一個(gè)電話(huà)，它可能打擾了你一早晨，它使你無(wú)法思考清晰，甚至當時(shí)你都沒(méi)有意識到是什么在困擾你。
養成這樣一個(gè)習慣，停止問(wèn)自己"我在想些什么？"。搞清楚并解決它。在上述例子里，你應該接電話(huà)，或把它列到明天的日程表，你的心里會(huì )因它的馬上離開(kāi)而感到舒適多了。這使你保持一種更為松弛的狀態(tài)，你的思考也會(huì )更清晰。馬上用這個(gè)技巧來(lái)增進(jìn)自己的腦力吧。
15. Make Love For Your Brain
In a series of studies by Winnifred B. Cutler, PhD and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and later at Stanford University it was found that regular sexual contact had an important impact on physical and emotional well being of women. Sexual contact with a partner at least once a week led to more fertile, regular menstrual cycles, shorter menses, delayed menopause, increased estrogen levels, and delayed aging. Brain imaging studies at UCLA have shown that decreased estrogen levels are associated with overall decreased brain activity and poor memory. Enhancing estrogen levels for women through regular sexual activity enhances overall brain activity and improves memory.
In Dr. Cutler’s study the occurrence of orgasm was not as important as the fact that sex was with another person. Intimacy and emotional bonding may be the most influential factors in the positive aspects of sex. As a psychiatrist I have seen many people withhold sex as a way to show hurt, anger, or disappointment. Dr. Cutler’s research suggests that this is self-defeating behavior. The more you withhold the worse it may be for you. Appropriate sex is one of the keys to the brain’s fountain of youth.
15. 為你的大腦做愛(ài)
Winnifred B. Cutler博士和賓西法尼亞大學(xué)的同事們、以及之后斯坦福大學(xué)的一系列研究發(fā)現，定期的性接觸對女性的身體健康和情緒安寧都有重要影響。和伴侶一個(gè)星期最少一次性接觸導致更強的生育能力、穩定的月經(jīng)期、更短的月經(jīng)、延遲絕經(jīng)期、提高雌性激素水平、推延老化。UCLA的大腦成像研究顯示，雌性激素的減少關(guān)聯(lián)到大腦活力的全民降低和記憶力減退。通過(guò)定期的性接觸提高女性的雌性激素水平有助于提高整體的大腦活力和增進(jìn)記憶力。
在Dr. Culter的研究里，性高潮的出現并不像事實(shí)上和另一個(gè)人性愛(ài)表現出來(lái)的那么重要。親昵行為和情感融合是性愛(ài)的積極方面中最有影響力的兩個(gè)元素。作為一個(gè)精神病醫生，我見(jiàn)過(guò)許多壓抑性欲的人表現為傷害、憤怒以及失望。Culter博士的研究表明，這是對自己有害的行為。你越壓抑你的性欲，它越對你有害。適當的性愛(ài)是開(kāi)啟大腦青春噴泉的鑰匙之一。
16. Play With Passion!
You can’t do great work without personal fulfillment. When people are growing through learning and creativity, they are much more fulfilled and give 127% more to their work. Delight yourself and you delight the world. Remember what you loved to do as a child and bring the essence of that activity into your work. This is a clue to your genius; to your natural gifts and talents. da Vinci, Edison, Einstein and Picasso all loved to play and they loved to explore.
16. 充滿(mǎn)激情地玩耍!
沒(méi)有自我實(shí)現你是不可能做成偉大的事業(yè)的。當人們通過(guò)學(xué)習和創(chuàng )造成長(cháng)時(shí)，他們超額實(shí)現，為他們的工作付出了多于127%的激情。使自己愉悅，你將愉悅整個(gè)世界。記住在你還是個(gè)孩子時(shí)喜歡做的事情，將其精髓投入你的事業(yè)中。這是指引你發(fā)現自己的天賦、特長(cháng)的線(xiàn)索。達芬奇、愛(ài)迪生、愛(ài)因斯坦和畢加索都熱愛(ài)玩耍，并且都熱愛(ài)探索。
17. Cycles Of Consciousness
Your consciousness waxes and wanes throughout the day . For most it seems to go through 90 minute cycles, with 30 minutes of lower consciousness. Watch yourself to recognize this cycle. If you learn to recognize and track your mental state, you can concentrate on important mental tasks when your mind is most “awake”. For creative insight into a problem, do the opposite. Work on it when you are in a drowsy state, when your conscious mind has slowed down.
17. 意識周期
意識每天都像月亮一樣有盈有缺。對大多數人而言，它的周期是90分鐘，其中30分鐘的意識低潮。觀(guān)察自己來(lái)辨認周期。如果你學(xué)會(huì )辨認和跟蹤你的大腦狀態(tài)，你可以在思維最"清醒"時(shí)專(zhuān)注于重要的腦力工作，當創(chuàng )造性洞察遇到難題，就要反其道而行了。在你迷迷糊糊、意識思維遲鈍下來(lái)時(shí)再去完成它。
18. Learn Something New
This one might seem obvious. Yes, we capitalize on our brain’s great potential when we put it to work learning new things. You may have a specific topic for work or leisure that you want to learn more about. That’s great.
Go learn it. If you don’t have a subject in mind right now, try learning a new word each day. There is a strong correlation between working vocabulary and intelligence. When we have new words in our vocabulary, our minds can think in new ways with greater nuances between ideas. Put your mind to work learning. It is one of the best ways to re-energize your brain.
18. 學(xué)一些新東西
這一條可能看起來(lái)平淡無(wú)奇。是的，當我們讓大腦學(xué)習新的知識時(shí)，我們在使用它的巨大潛能。你可能有一個(gè)想了解更多的具體工作或休閑的主題。那很好。
開(kāi)始學(xué)習。如果你現在腦子里沒(méi)有一個(gè)問(wèn)題，那么嘗試每天學(xué)一個(gè)新單詞。工作時(shí)的詞匯量和智力是有強大關(guān)聯(lián)的。當我們的詞庫里有新單詞，我們的頭腦可以通過(guò)主意間更微妙的差別想出新的方法。讓你的頭腦開(kāi)始學(xué)習吧。這是重新給大腦充電的最好方法。
19. Write To Be Read
I am a big proponent of writing in a journal to capture ideas and thoughts. There is certainly great value in writing for yourself. I continue to find that my brain is greatly stimulated by writing to be read. The greatest benefit of writing is what it does to expand your brain’s capacity. Find ways to write to be read – by writing things for your friends to read, by capturing the stories of your childhood, starting your own blog or whatever – just write to be read.
19. 寫(xiě)一些會(huì )有人讀的內容
我強烈支持以寫(xiě)日記來(lái)獲得主意和思想。為自己寫(xiě)作無(wú)疑有巨大價(jià)值。我連續發(fā)現通過(guò)寫(xiě)一些會(huì )被人閱讀的內容，我的大腦變得格外興奮。寫(xiě)作的最大好處在于它為擴充你的腦容量所做的一切。尋找途徑來(lái)寫(xiě)一些會(huì )有人閱讀的東西- 為你的朋友能閱讀而寫(xiě)一些東西，寫(xiě)你童年發(fā)生的故事，建立自己的blog或無(wú)論什么- 只要寫(xiě)些能被閱讀的東西。
20. Try Aroma Therapy To Activate Your Brain
One day, as I was falling asleep, while listening to endless speeches at a conference, my brain suddenly perked up when I caught a whiff of lemon from someone’s cologne. I immediately felt alert and found it much easier to pay attention to the presenter. I discovered aroma therapy really is useful and I have used it ever since revitalize or to relax.
Energizers include peppermint, cypress and lemon. Relaxants: ylang ylang, geranium and rose. A few drops of essential oils in your bath or in a diffuser will do the trick. You can also put a drop or two in a cotton ball or hanky and inhale. One caveat for the workplace; make sure no-one is allergic to the oils before you use them.
20. 嘗試用香薰來(lái)激活大腦
一天當我在一次會(huì )議上聽(tīng)著(zhù)無(wú)休止的演講時(shí)，慢慢墜入夢(mèng)鄉，突然聞到來(lái)自某個(gè)人科隆香水的檸檬味道，我的大腦興奮起來(lái)。我立刻警醒，發(fā)現自己能更容易專(zhuān)注于演講者。我發(fā)覺(jué)香薰真的有效，從那之后我一直用它來(lái)恢復精力或放松休息。
勁量（Energizer）含有薄荷、柏木和檸檬。松弛劑：依蘭依蘭，天竺葵和玫瑰。在浴室或噴霧器里滴入幾滴精油會(huì )起作用。你也可以用棉花球或手帕沾一兩滴然后吸入。工作場(chǎng)所需要警告一下；在使用之前確認沒(méi)有人對該油有過(guò)敏反應。
21. Drugs To Increase Brainpower
Coffee and other drinks containing caffeine help students consistently score higher on tests. Since caffeine restricts blood vessels in the brain, it isn’t clear what the longer-term effects may be when it comes to your brainpower. So instead of coffee breaks try gingko biloba and gotu kola herbal teas. Ginkgo biloba has been shown to increase blood flow to the brain, and improve concentration.
21.提高智力的藥物
咖啡和其它飲料包含的咖啡因有助于學(xué)生在考試中始終如一獲得好成績(jì)。因為咖啡因限制大腦血管，故而不太清楚它對你的智力的長(cháng)期影響會(huì )如何。所以不要開(kāi)咖啡會(huì )了，嘗試一下銀杏提取物（譯者注：銀杏樹(shù)葉中的萃取物質(zhì)可以增加腦的供血量）和積雪草草藥茶。銀杏提取物被證明能增加血液流向腦部，提高注意力。
22. Build A Brain Trust
Surround yourself with inspiring people from a wide variety of fields who encourage you and stimulate your creativity. Read magazines from a wide variety of fields. Make connections between people, places and things, to discover new opportunities, and to find solutions to your problems.
22. 建立智囊
在你身周?chē)@著(zhù)廣泛領(lǐng)域的鼓舞人心的人，他們鼓勵你、刺激你的創(chuàng )造力。閱讀不同領(lǐng)域的雜志。在人們、地點(diǎn)和事物之間建立連接來(lái)發(fā)現新的機遇，以及為你的問(wèn)題發(fā)現解決方案。
Remember that no matter what your age or your occupation; your brain needs to be constantly challenged to be at its peak in terms of performance. Whether it’s doing logic puzzles, memorizing lines from Shakespeare, or learning a new skill, keep your brain busy, if you don’t want it to rust away like a car in a junkyard.
記住，無(wú)論你多大或你的職業(yè)是什么；你的大腦需要時(shí)常受到挑戰，使之在效率方面達到其巔峰狀態(tài)。不論是做邏輯難題，熟記莎士比亞的臺詞，或者學(xué)會(huì )一項新技能，使你的大腦忙起來(lái)，如果你不想讓它想廢品堆里的轎車(chē)一樣銹掉的話(huà)
