The brain is a unique organ that we often forget when
exercising our body. The brain should be trained as well as our body to remain
fully functional for a long time. Many research results indicate that aerobic
exercise and cognitive reasoning training help to improve brain health. Such
training in older people allows for better fitness in the hippocampus regions
particularly vulnerable to aging and dementia. Despite research in a selected
narrow-screen group of people between 56-75 years of age, researchers agree
that we should begin to care for the efficiency of our brain much earlier, and
not only when we experience significant cognitive loss.
For sure each of us has heard a lot that crosswords, Sudoku
and similar games are the perfect training for our brains. There are many pros
and cons. First of all, it's hard to measure how much playing such games
affects neural connections. In addition, by solving a lot of crosswords, we
become great at solving them, but they do not affect other brain functions such
as making decisions or planning.
Dr. Chapman suggests that first of all we should eliminate
bad habits acting against the healthy function of the frontal lobe, e.g.
multitasking, studies show that the brain can do only one thing at a time. We
should also take breaks from technology even for up to 30 minutes. By building
good habits we will be able to improve e.g. innovate thinking or development of
new solutions.
Quoting " Our brains become quickly jaded by routine so
push past the predictable to better your brain health across the lifespan.”
Read the following articles:
1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our
brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve
brain cognition? If not why?
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the
ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our
brain to relax?
1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI think that a combining of two types of training: aerobic and cognitive is a good solution. Aerobic training increases the heart rate so our body pumps more blood to the brain. Cognitive training aims to maintain or improve the cognitive abilities.
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
I like solving crosswords. I often solve crosswords when I'm on the go. Solving crosswords makes the time spent in a car, train or plane much faster. I don't have time to solve crosswords on a daily basis, but looking for mistakes in student programs is an exercise of my brain as well. When friends come to me, we always play a board game, usually a strategic one.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
It seems to me that resting for our brain does not have to require putting the phone down. It is certainly easier to relax if we do not have a phone in hand. I think that each of us is able to put down the phone and rest without it, but from year to year it will be more difficult and some just can't do it differently.
Thank you for your answer. I have a problem with crosswords, but I recently fell in love with Sudoku. In general, I really like games where you have to do something with numbers. It relaxes me a lot and allows me to focus only on this one activity. I agree that error checking is both an opportunity to learn and exercise the brain. Asking yourself questions, and why did you write it so, and what happens if we change something here? Board games are great to excercise the brain, but in my opinion starting creative thinking and, for example, playing RPG sessions is an even better tool for our brain to develop and try new things, break the routine, because we have to invent everything ourselves and force our brain to connect many facts, pictures, statements made only of words.
DeleteIn Sudoku or other math games I play on the phone and I feel that I am resting at the same time. So rest with electronics is possible, although overloading with colors or a bright screen can often be tiring.
1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI think these two ways must be combined. A brain that's underoxygenated doesn't work well. To develop the cognitive functions of the brain, it needs oxygen. The ideal way to oxygenate the brain and improve its activity are intensive aerobic exercises. Exercises that increase the heart rate for a longer period of time are very effective in oxygenating and improving brain activity. Additionally, brain training also means breaking the daily routine and doing something new that the brain is not used to.
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
I like logic games. My favorite is the Gipf game. It's a board game that's a puzzle game. It combines elements of strategy and logic. The board in the game is a hexagon made of external points. These are the output fields. From each of them, lines come out and connect with the opposite output fields. In this way a game net is created. At the beginning, in its corners, the vertices of both players are arranged alternately. The aim of game j is to make sure that our opponent cannot put the pawn on the board. I like to play it. I prefer puzzle games to games that rely on luck.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
In my opinion, stress in the right amount can be mobilizing and adrenaline pushes you to conquer the world. However, after a whole day full of different sensations, everyone deserves a rest. All the more so because it is also very beneficial for our health. You should keep the golden mean. It has long been known that a rested mind works better. There is nothing strange about it. And the better the brain works, the better it remembers different information. No athlete stands to race when tired. I think it's the same when we take part in the proverbial rat race.
Thank you for your answer. This game sounds really interesting, I will have to try to play it. Also, I don't like luck-based games because I'm never the person who is most lucky. Although sometimes strategic or logic games with some aspect of randomness are interesting and give a lot of fun if you can have a laugh with your friends. Stress is certainly something that drives us. I often don't have the motivation to act and the approaching deadline gives me that motivation, but I also create a stress situation myself, which puts a strain on my over-thinking brain. You're right, everything should be in right balance. Time for work and rest, in the form that someone prefers.
Delete1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on the characteristics of the person. On some, one method will work, on the other, the second, and on the sum of the two. However, every method of brain training is important. Especially when we as people begin to grow older, i.e. after 20-25 years of age ;-)
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
There are many games for brain training. Games that train memory, concentration, perception, logic or language. I try to use these solutions whenever possible to exercise my brain. I use the site http://brainmax.pl/ but often also, for example, do mathematical calculations in memory.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
Yes, you should do that. Often, e.g. on the weekend, but also during the week, I take fishing rods and go fishing. I also have places where cell phones don't work. Then I rest my brain, though outwitting the fish isn't so simple. I collect mushrooms in autumn. I don't think about anything else then.
Thank you for your reply and for the link. Another interesting option to try. Right, something is different for everyone. I think it's best to combine both workouts in the right proportion for us. If you don't like sport very much, just walk, you don't have to be a fit person right away. We should start thinking about how our brain will keep its best condition in old age. Sometimes it's good to breathe nature, do something you like. Fishing and mushrooming are in my opinion a great options. You can combine aerobic training and relax your brain by focusing only on whether the fish is taking.
Delete1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI think both forms of exercise are very important. When you are young, you learn information much better. I think it is with age that you have to pay more and more attention to physical activity, because in order for our brain to work at full speed we first have to take care of our body.
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
When it comes to solving crosswords, I do it very rarely. I like games very much and I think they can keep my brain in great shape. Most often I play FPS which exercises my reflexes and speed of decision making. I also like games that require strategic thinking. I saw that there were also games created just to train the brain with them. I am interested in Dr Kawashima's Brain Training, however it is only available on the Switch platform which I do not have.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
I think our brain must have a moment of rest from the surrounding noise. Cutting off virtual reality and all stimuli associated with it will relieve our brain for a little while and allow it to relax a bit. Unfortunately, in today's world it is getting harder and harder.
Thank you for your answer. You're right, we should also focus on training our body, because perfect brain is useless in an unhealthy body. Although Steven Hawking was a great example that despite the high physical loads and inefficiency of our body we can still be geniuses and our brain can be in excellent shape. Just a review of Dr. Kawashima's game encouraged me to choose this topic! I also regret that it is only available on Switch, looks very interesting and has many levels of brain stimulation in various ways. FPS games are great for practicing reaction speed and making decisions. Unfortunately, I can't play well using the mouse and keyboard, and it's hard to play this type of games using gamepad. I also think that it is becoming increasingly difficult to completely cut off from electronics. Even if we go for a relaxing walk, we often listen to music while cutting ourselves off from the noise of cars or other people, and yet it strains our brains.
Delete1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI think that the two of proposed training must be combined to do a good effect. Aerobic exercises are good for our health and oxygenate our brain. The cognitive reasoning improve our logical thinking and force brain to act.
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
If I have time then I play strategy games. My favorite games are Age of Empires II and The Battle of Wesnoth. In both I need thinking to do the best move and be victorious. Earlier I solved Sudoku or solved crosswords. My grandpa solves many crosswords.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
I think its all depends on us. If we want we can do everything to relax. I don’t have problem to put away phone and stop using computer for a long time. In some day I did an experiment and for week I didn’t used phone and computer. I spent days on fresh air and reading books.
Thank you for your answer. I fully agree that both workouts should be combined. It is important that even when we work and strain our brain to work in a well ventilated room. It seems to me that crosswords are the domain of most grandparents. My grandfather solved both crosswords and Sudoku. He had a really good memory for his age. You have carried out a really brave experiment which would probably be impossible to do for many of us. A week without using electronics is really an achievement. I think I wouldn't be able to stand that long without a phone. I try to mix the use of it with reading books.
Delete1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteAerobic training effect of relaxing for sure happens quicker, that is instantly after training. Effects of cognitive training, and effects of physical training described in the paper require more time and repetitions to observe the effects. Study showed up that both exercise types had positive effect, but different one.
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
Yes, I like games very much. I'm lucky that one of my favorite is "debug this piece of code", which oftentimes is fascinating riddle, and in addition I'm getting paid for it. I also like classic board games, riddles, sudokus, strategy games, puzzle games.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
I think if we want to achieve something, it's a must. Otherwise we'll take part in the race as an also-run.
Thank you for your answer. The effects can always be seen after some time. Cognitive training definitely brings benefits with time and regularity of its performance. The most important thing is to do what you like. Sometimes debugging code annoys me too much when I find error after error, so it's more a necessity than pleasure. Unfortunately, many people think that they do not have time to rest and constantly do something by overloading their brains by doing several things at once, which was mentioned in the article as one of the main negative things that affect our brain. As if rest is something unacceptable, a waste of time that we could use to study, work and develop.
Delete1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI think the best thing is to combine aerobic and cognitive training. I myself feel that after a run, my mental abilities increase (tested on chess games ^ _ ^)
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
Very often. I have been playing chess since I was 5 years old. I go to a chess club. Often I play Sudoku when I’m going from work or to work, and I also play a game called BrainWars (I recommend)
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
Do I think this is very important? Yes of course. Does it work for me? absolutely not(
It seems to me that the growth of depression in the world is precisely because of these rat races
Thank you for your answer. Nobody has mentioned that he plays chess. I really admire people who are good at this game, because it really requires practice and thinking many steps forward along with a simulation of what step our opponent can take. You have to adapt to your opponent's strategy very quickly. I will definitely check the game you recommend. It is very possible that depression also has its source in the constant pursuit of perfection. To adapt to the expected community. People were once not used to such intensive work, which happens in some professions even after several hours a day. The pre-humans worked a maximum of 4 hours, and then they dealt with social interactions and small housework. Fascinating and frightening is how much the evolution and development of civilization forced us to strive constantly forward and in many circles rest is seen as weakness.
DeleteI think both trainings may have effects of similar magnitude but on different dimensions. But when I struggle with solving some problems because I can't think clearly I rather go for drinking water and aerobic than doing cognitive reasoning exercises.
ReplyDeleteI don't play games or solve crosswords. I used to play some games intended for improving the brain power, but they were quite boring
so I didn't continue for too long. At some point I was doing calculus for the same exact reason but I didn't find it any beneficial when it comes to reasoning.
I think there is a lot of space for relaxation. There are problems with prioritization though. After all, it's more appealing to watch Netfilx for 1 hour than to meditate or something for 15 minutes.
Thank you for your answer. The effect of aerobic training can be seen immediately, and if we get stuck on a problem, it is good to get up, stretch out, and get out for some fresh air, it also helps me. As quoted in the article, the fact that we do some cognitive training whether they are dedicated games or crosswords does not necessarily mean that our brain will work better. We can simply become a master in a given game. I think that such games have a good effect on our brain, but it is hard to measure. I also understand your approach that such games can be boring because I can solve up to two Sudoku puzzles in one go. I prefer to practice creativity during RPG sessions that last up to four hours, but also can suck energy. Right, each of us will choose to see something because we put less effort into this than reading a book, and instead of resting our brain is overloaded with stimuli.
Delete1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI think that both of them are required, but for me aerobic/gym has better effect on my brain.
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
I love solving crosswords! That's the best way for me to spend a few moments alone. It's a very relaxing activity.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
I say more! We HAVE TO allow our brain to relax. If we didn't do it regularry and quite often then we're gonna burn out fast. No matter how much work I do, I find time for myself to slow down.
Thank you for your answer. I see that for a large number of people, aerobic training is more beneficial. One can conclude from this theory that as part of brain training, IT specialists prefer to train out to probably break away from the computer for some time. Unfortunately, crosswords are not my favorite form of brain training, but I like to solve them in a larger group. You can also learn some interesting facts from your friends and make your time more pleasant, e.g. on a train. Keeping the balance is the most important thing. After all, we only work eight hours a day to rest and relax for the remaining eight. Then we should think about our brain and instead of staying at the computer we should go for a walk, for example.
Delete1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI think that both types of training are certainly important for our brain. However, I am more inclined to cognitive training. More often I try to train the brain in this way and I notice that I actually absorb knowledge better. I try to come back to the same things many times to consolidate my knowledge.
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
That's how I try to train my brain this way. I think that different types of puzzles or other riddles will help me organize my work better. Often, such training is useful to me and I notice its results. I try to ensure that the knowledge acquired in this way can be adapted to current needs.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
In my opinion, yes, and we should even do it. Quite often, the brain is compared to a muscle, and each muscle needs rest and calmness to normalize its work and return to its initial state. It is especially important nowadays, when everyone is chasing something and we always lack priceless time. Stress situations that we face every day cause considerable losses, not only on health, but also on the loss of concentration or attention. Every year on July 15 we have the chance to turn off the phone for 24 hours. This is the so-called "Day without a mobile phone". Maybe it is worth thinking about it and taking this interesting initiative.
Thank you for your answer. As they say, practice makes perfect. You are probably the first person to whom cognitive training suits more than aerobic training. For sure, regular training will bring the greatest results. I also met with the statement that the brain is a muscle. We should train it the same or maybe better than other muscles. After all, we need good brain function in many areas of life. Such initiatives as a "day without a mobile phone" are an interesting option to encourage more people to try to change their lifestyle for at least one day. Some may notice the benefits of rest from electronics.
Delete1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI think that it's crucial to train our brain with those two methods :)
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
I don't. Fortunately, my work challenges me a lot in the context of solving "puzzles" and programming, which I really enjoy!
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
Of course, if somebody has a relaxing problem, I would recommend turning off TV/Netflix, grab a soda and go for a walk. During one episode of Friends, you can make at least 1km of route, and you'll feel much better then :).
1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion both training methods mentioned above may have a good efect on our brain. I am more of a fan of aerobic exercises, because they let me feel more relaxed and open to do some brainy stuff ;) but of course cognitive reasoning can improve my skills. I also strongly agree with the statement form the article, which says that multitasking is a big enemy of our brain because people can properly focus on just one thing and they can have the best results when they give all their skills to do such thing.
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
I must say that unortunately I don’t have a lot of free – time outside work, physical exercises and playing guitar, so I don’t do a lot of crosswords or play similar games. I have never been a fan of solving the crosswords, because I don’t find them too interesting. When I was younger, I liked to play Sudoku sometimes. I also really had fun while playing chess.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
I think that it would be really helpful for everyone to just shut down all the electronic devices once a day for 30 minutes or so. It could really help wth falling asleep or feeling more relaxed and less stressed – because of all the exciting and sometimes scary things we learn while going through Internet or TV news. These are the things that cause problems with relaxing. Sadly not a lot of people can do such thing, because we always think – oh, just 10 more minutes on the phone is nothing, and we keep telling these to ourselves for next hours until we fall asleep fro exhaustion ;)
1. Which training do you think has a better effect on our brain: aerobic or cognitive reasoning?
ReplyDeleteI think that both of them are equally important to proper functioning of the brain. Aerobic improves our cardiovascular fitness, it’s important from brain perspective to supply it with oxygen and nutrients. On the other hand cognitive reasoning exercises are also important to sustain it in good condition because they ensuring the proper functioning of neurons, maintaining an efficient network of connections, among nerve cells, and strengthening them.
2. Do you play any games or solve crosswords to improve brain cognition? If not why?
Yes, I’m playing brain games, some time ago I found that my memory is not as good as it used to be, and I came across great podcast related to this topic. I recommend it to anybody who wants to improve their memory: https://www.magneticmemorymethod.com/about/, you can find there plenty of easy to do exercise that could help you.
3. Do you think that in a world full of technology and the ubiquitous rat race, can we afford to slow down, put down the phone and allow our brain to relax?
Yes, and definitely I think we should! Relaxing time is very important to maintain healthy brain. Taking brakes from technology and all of the rush of everyday life will benefit in better concentration and overall performance.
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ReplyDelete