Chris, Thanks for the nice introduction. I’m excited to share in the fun. Let’s start off with a resource for those few times when you’re current on your BrianFuel reading, or have a temporary disconnect from the umbilical that is the BrainFuel RSS feed…the Top 5 Ways to Acquire More Brain Fuel (or How to Recharge Your Brain):
1. Nintendo DS.
Brain Age is inspired by the research of Professor Ryuta Kawashima, a prominent Japanese neuroscientist. His studies evaluated the impact of performing certain reading and mathematic exercises to help stimulate the brain.
2. William Orbit.
Classical music is supposed to help baby during early development stages, so what about us? How about some electronic symphonies from William Orbit: Pieces in a Modern Style, featuring an electronic version of Barber’s Adagio for Strings. Or for something more upbeat try his new album: Hello Waveforms.
3. Exercise.
Men’s Health magazine points out that aerobic exercise is connected to improved brainpower. (Tip via lifehack.org)
4. Chess.
Puzzle a day keeps the pieces in play.
5. Read the BrainFuel Archives.
Some of my favorites.
11 responses to “Top 5 Ways to Acquire More Brain Fuel”
Oh wow! Cool post. So do you have a Nintendo DS? What’s the current hot gaming consol? Is it Nintendo or PSP or XBox? I wonder if I could hook up an XBox to my monitor.
I liked the archives you linked to. That pony one cracks me up every time I look at it.
Ok so I have an Xbox, which I haven’t used since I got through Halo. I have a Nintendo Gamecube which I play regularly. It’s all about the games and Nintendo has the best ones, IMO. I do have a DS which I think is the best gaming system on the planet.
Love the post, keeping you mind in shape is definitely underrated these days. I’ve been taking part in some of brain exercises lately just to try to keep my mind sharp, it got to a point where I thought my need to always have a calculator was extremely annoying and kind of sad. I tried little things like setting my cars clock 13 minutes ahead, try calculations in my head and check them with the calculator if need be. I have tried the music but failed to see any different. I am sure it helps, but I tend to get carried away in the tune. Great post, I recommend everyone to try it out. They have worked for me and I have only been practicing them for a couple of months.
You missed “playing poker with your friends”. I have found this to be both socially *and* mentally stimulating… I think it’s like playing chess with added testosterone!
Hey Alan, I just noticed you rebooted. I like the new look!
You mean listening to ABBA won’t help? 🙂
Hang out at Stanford. I walked around the campus for a day and swear I felt smarter. 🙂
Hey Mark! Sticking with the electronic covers of classics strategy, maybe the ABBA covers by Erasure, Abba-esque, would work. Nice stuff.
Thanks Chris, it took me a while but I finally got there 😀 I am thinking of getting a game of pacman on the go to celebrate!
I love Hello Waveforms – used one of the songs during a slideshow for a nonprofit’s fundraising dinner. Chris – it’s on itunes and I’m pretty sure you’d like it.
Hello Waveforms is indeed perfect for slideshows – I too have used it for just that. I also listen to it to chill out and calm down.