Training Your Brain For Dummies E-Book

Tracy Packiam Alloway

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 349

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Mastering the latest fitness craze-keeping your brain healthy at any age

Judging from the worldwide popularity of the brain game, Nintendo DS, and such mind-bending puzzles as SuDoku and KenKen®, keeping one's mind as limber as an Olympic athlete is an international obsession. With forecasters predicting over a million people with dementia by 2025, today's young and senior population have a vested interest in keeping their grey matter in the pink for as long as possible. Training Your Brain For Dummies is an indispensable guide to every aspect of brain fitness-and keeping your mind as sharp, agile, and creative for as long as you can. Whether you want to hone your memory, manage stress and anxiety, or simply eat brain healthy food, this guide will help you build brain health into your everyday life.

• Includes verbal, numerical and memory games, brain games to play on the move, tips on the best day-to-day habits, and long-term mental fitness techniques
• Offers ten key brain training basics, tips on brain training through one's lifetime, and improving long- and short-term memory
• Includes advice on improving creativity, developing a positive mindset, and reaping the rewards of peace and quiet

With tips on mind/body fitness, Training Your Brain For Dummies is a must-have guide for anyone, at any age, for keeping one's mind-and quality of life-in peak condition.

Leseprobe

Training Your Brain For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organised

Part I: Brain Training Basics

Part II: Remember, Remember . . . Keeping Your Memory Sharp

Part III: Fostering a Happy, Healthy Mind

Part IV: Getting Physical: Looking at Brain-Friendly Diet and Lifestyle

Part V: Game On! Brain Training Games to Play at Home

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Brain Training Basics

Chapter 1: Introducing Brain Training

Yes, You Can Train Your Brain!

Getting to Know Your Brain

The Long and Short of Memory

The long story

The short story

Developing a Healthy Brain

Getting Active for Life

Chapter 2: Getting to Know Your Brain

Discovering How the Brain Works

The four-part brain

Keeping the brain alert and active

Looking at the Brain’s Two Sides

Saying hello to the left side

Getting to know the right side

Separating Fact from Fiction

Do you really only use 10 per cent of your brain?

Does your brain shrink as you get older?

Can you change your brain?

Chapter 3: Brain Training for Your Needs

Brain Training in Children

Providing a stimulating environment for the brain

Sesame Street versus Dr Seuss

Making the most of the early years

Brain Training for Adults

Dispelling the myths of brain training

Using what works for your brain

Part II: Remember, Remember . . . Keeping Your Memory Sharp

Chapter 4: Honing Your Long-Term Memory

Remembering Your Past: Autobiographical Memory

Discovering the importance of childhood memories

Harnessing the power of happy memories

Using Your Everyday Knowledge: Semantic Memory

Knowing the Eiffel Tower from the Leaning Tower

Making associations that last

Long-term Skills: Procedural Memory

Practising for perfection

Training in your sleep

Chapter 5: Improving Your Short-Term Memory

Speaking Your Brain’s Language: Verbal Memory

Articulating for a better brain

Talking fast to remember more

Seeing Your Brain’s Perspective: Visual Memory

Harnessing the power of visualisation

Photographing your memory

Moving at Your Brain’s Pace: Spatial Memory

Getting a bird’s eye perspective

Move through space

Chapter 6: Improving Your Language Skills

Avoiding Verbal Loss

Banishing the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Using a variety of words

Remembering Your Shopping List and Other Important Things

Repeating, repeating, repeating

Rhyming to remember

Measuring Your Language Skills with Verbal IQ Tests

Looking at verbal IQ tests

Measuring your brain’s verbal IQ

Chapter 7: Recognising Faces and Remembering Directions

Understanding Visual-Spatial Memory Skills

Banishing the ‘You Look Familiar, But I Can’t Remember You’ Phenomenon

Reasoning and logic: The key to training your visual-spatial skills

Working Your Memory Muscle

Looking at Visual-Spatial IQ Tests

Testing, testing

Measuring your brain’s visual-spatial IQ

Scoring your test

Part III: Fostering a Happy, Healthy Mind

Chapter 8: Improving Your Creativity

Boosting Your Brain Power with Creative Endeavours

Tapping Out Tempo

Music and language development

Perfecting your pitch to keep your brain

Drawing Isn’t Just for Picasso

Doodling to stay on task

Drawing to release your creative side

Comparing the Brains of Creative and Non-creative People

Chapter 9: Developing a Positive Mindset

Smiling Your Way to a Better Brain

When everyday life has you stressed out

Thinking positive

Changing Perspectives

Taking stock of your brain’s health

Why ‘half-empty’ doesn’t make a difference to your mental health

Managing Stress and Anxiety

Understanding why stress kills brain cells

Taking control to de-stress

Chapter 10: Reaping the Rewards of Peace and Quiet

Using the Power of Silence

Finding meaning in the noise

Finding calm amidst the chaos

Making time for quiet

Overcoming the Daily Bustle with Meditation

What happens in the brain during meditation?

Boosting your visual memory with meditation

Changing Your Brain with Prayer

Chapter 11: Keeping Your Brain Sociable

Letting Go of Anger and Loneliness

Making Friends and Losing Enemies

Staying Happy and Fostering Friendships

Socialising Your Brain Digitally

Multiplayer computer games count as socialising

Social networking sites are A-OK

Part IV: Getting Physical: Looking at Brain-Friendly Diet and Lifestyle

Chapter 12: Feeding Your Brain

Eating for Life: Nutrition in the Womb

Craving Marmite

Resisting the sugary urge

Eating for Life: Nutrition in Childhood

Fishing for your brain

Dealing with picky eaters

Snacking right for a better brain

Developing Eating Habits for a Lifetime

Juicing for life

Making meat count

Brain foods in your cupboard

Chapter 13: Looking at Stimulants: Drugs and Caffeine

Pepping Up Your Brain

Keeping your brain sharp: What works and what doesn’t

Avoiding the caffeine dip

Relaxing Your Brain

Taking a cup of green tea a day to keep the doctor away

Calming your brain

Medicating Your Brain

Popping pills: Can they keep your brain sharp?

Staying away from brain drainers

Chapter 14: Building Up Mind/Body Fitness

Moving Your Body to Keep Your Brain Healthy

Comparing running and yoga

Finding your ideal level

Feeling good from exercise

Getting Started On an Exercise Programme

Resting Your Brain

Getting better rest

Sleeping your way to a better brain

Part V: Game On! Brain Training Games to Play at Home

Chapter 15: Verbal Brain Games

Scrambling Words

Getting a feel for different types of word scrambles

Being strategic

Giving word scrambles a try

Relaxing with Word Searches

Being strategic

Trying your hand at word searches

Chapter 16: Numerical Brain Games

Using Logic to Solve Sudoku Puzzles

Solving strategies

Trying the puzzles

Taking Target Practice with Circular Sudoku

Chapter 17: Logic Games

Logic Puzzles

Easy

Tricky

Tough

Treacherous

Riddles

Easy

Tricky

Tough

Treacherous

Cryptograms

Easy

Tricky

Tough

Treacherous

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 18: Ten New Habits to Train Your Brain

Try Line Dancing

Puzzle Over Jigsaws

Learn a Language

Memorise Capital Cities

Walk in a Different Park

Eat New Food

Join a Book Club

Write a Film Review

Spend Five Minutes Each Morning in Contemplation

List Three Things You’re Thankful for Before Bed

Chapter 19: Ten Brain Games to Play on the Move

Match That Face

Spot the Objects

Tip-of-the-tongue Game

Number Game

Memory Game

Tell Me a Story

Drumming for your Brain

Read a Challenging Book

Circling Fun

Wrapping It Up. . .

Appendix: The Payoff: Checking Your Answers

Training Your Brain For Dummies®

by Dr Tracy Packiam AllowayPuzzles by Timothy E. Parker

Training Your Brain For Dummies®

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ISBN: 978-0-470-97449-0 (paperback), 978-0-470-97541-1 (ebk), 978-0-470-97542-8 (ebk), 978-0-470-97630-2 (ebk)

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About the Authors

Tracy Packiam Alloway, PhD, is the Director of the Center for Memory and Learning in the Lifespan at the University of Stirling, UK. She was the 2009 winner of the prestigious Joseph Lister Award by the British Science Association for bringing her scientific discoveries to a wide audience. She is the author of over 75 scientific articles and books on working memory and learning, and has developed the world’s first standardised working-memory tests for educators, published by Pearson Assessment. Her research has received widespread international coverage, appearing in outlets such as the Scientific American, Forbes, US News, ABC News, BC, BBC, Guardian, and Daily Mail. She is a much-in-demand international speaker in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and provides advice to the World Bank on the importance of working memory.

Timothy E. Parker is the Senior Crossword Puzzle Editor of USA Today Crosswords and the ‘World’s Most Syndicated Puzzle Compiler’ according to Guinness World Records. In addition, he is the creator and senior editor of the Universal Crossword, the Internet’s most popular crossword puzzle since 1998.

Dedication

To Marcus: For teaching me that you are never too young to train your brain.

To Baby No. 2: For keeping me company while I was writing this book.

– Tracy Packiam Alloway, PhD

Publisher’s Acknowledgements

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Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Commissioning, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Steve Edwards

Commissioning Editor: Nicole Hermitage

Assistant Editor: Ben Kemble

Development Editor: Kelly Ewing

Copy Editor: Charlie Wilson

Technical Editor: Liam Healy

Proofreader: Anne O’Rorke

Production Manager: Daniel Mersey

Cover Photos: © Mike Kemp/Rubberball/Corbis

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Lynsey Stanford

Layout and Graphics: Samantha K. Cherolis, Cheryl Grubbs

Proofreader: Lauren Mandelbaum

Indexer: Claudia Bourbeau

Brand Reviewer: Carrie Burchfield

Introduction

I imagine that you’ve picked up this book because you’re interested in finding out more about the brain. In particular, I expect you’re interested in what you can do to help your brain work better than it does now. Knowledge about the brain and how to train your brain has snowballed in recent years and keeping up with all the scientific research that’s coming out is hard.

About This Book

In this book I distil information into bite-sized chunks. I discuss a range of topics relevant to brain training, from computer games to what you should eat, even to what exercise is best for your brain, calling on cutting-edge science. In some of the topics I draw from my own research expertise, and in other topics I follow leading psychologists, scientists, and researchers in the field.

Each chapter deals with a different aspect of brain training, so by the time you get to the end of the book you have a complete picture of what you can do to boost your brain power. The strategies are simple, effective, and easy to fit into your busy lifestyle. You don’t have to make major changes to make a big difference. Many of the tips and advice involve small changes that revolutionise your brain.