What most people are referring to when they talk about boosting brainpower is actually the ability to remember things, solve problems quicker, and focus better. That being said, there are plenty of ways to increase brain power. Like any other muscle, the brain needs exercise to improve. Practice, and a few subtle techniques, make perfect for those who are looking to get better at something like memorization. In the past forty years, psychologists have pinned down a few ways to help humans increase brain power when it comes to memory.
The first way to make things stick is by making associations. These can be visual or verbal, but usually having an anchor to relate words to will aid in future recall. Also, simply saying aloud or mouthing a phrase will make it about 10% more memorable. Therefore, when trying to retain information, choose key phrases to be vocalized and there’s a good chance they’ll stay put. One surprising way to subconsciously boost memory comes with a walk in the park. A new study found short-term memory in participants had improved by about 20% after 35 minutes of walking in nature.
The next area where humans look to increase brain power is in controlling focus and attention, which is actually one task easier said than done. Humans naturally let their attention jump about—our brains are constantly assimilating our surroundings and making sense of what we see, hear and feel. When attention fails, people end up with their keys in the refrigerator and the milk in hand to open the car. This problem arises when there are too many things to focus on at once so, in order to hone this skill, many people are turning to meditation. Meditation, relaxation, and concentration have all proven to be remarkable factors in improving a subject’s attention span.
The brain likes variety when it comes to solving problems and finding solutions. “Thinking out of the box” may be a cliché, but actually encouraging the brain to discover lesser known thoughts and activities keeps your brain on its toes. Switching actions to the non-dominant hand and solving logic puzzles all act like little miniature sit-ups for your brain. Power naps are also a skill to be learned when looking to enhance cognitive performance quickly. Physical exercise, too can improve functions like organizing and multitasking. Doing something different is often all it takes to increase brain power.