Brain Hacks

Even though we’ve been talking about the brain by itself, you can’t think of it as existing in isolation. It’s bound up with the rest of you—your lungs, liver, spleen, bones, blood—the whole you. Each part of your body works in concert with all the other bits. The brain is one of the most important organs you have, but it’s not the only one. To make your brain healthier, think of yourself holistically. As the musician Mick Fleetwood said, “I keep fit, I work out, I eat pretty damn well, I don’t drink like a fish, and all of those things are tempered with a holistic mind-set that you need to damn well respect the vehicle that you’re walking around in.” Exactly! 

Make sure your home is well ventilated. Open all the windows whenever possible and consider exhaust fans or air-to-air heat-exchanging devices that draw in fresh air through one duct and expel it through another. In addition, make sure stoves and heaters all vent outdoors. Keeping your house constantly closed tight not only prevents harmful pollutants from dissipating, but it also promotes sick building syndrome, a condition in which occupants suffer adverse health effects seemingly related to conditions in their living space. Sick building syndrome can include brain-defeating symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. At work, try to encourage coworkers to keep windows open. If that’s not possible— many office buildings have windows that don’t open—at least take breaks throughout the day and go outside for a breath of fresh air.

According to researchers, the more people participate in close social relationships, the better their overall physical and mental health, and the higher their level of function. The definition of social relationship is broad and can include everything from daily phone chats with family and regular visits with close friends to attending church every Sunday. The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on an Aging Society revealed that the two strongest predictors of well-being among the elderly are frequency of visits with friends and frequency of attendance at organization meetings. The more meaningful the contribution in a particular activity, the greater the health benefit. And these interactions shouldn’t always be with people who believe what you believe. Studies show that the more diverse your innermost circle of social support, the better off you are. Recent psychological research says that be- cause the brain is inherently lazy (that’s why it likes to rely on stereotypes in the first place), challenging it with diversity actually helps keep it running in tip-top shape.

Many of us stumble through life paying attention only to what we absolutely have to and marginally noticing everything else. This low ability to focus creates prob- lems in organizing and remembering information and makes it difficult to finish tasks. Focusing intently on a particular project, new skill, or task hones your brain’s ability to absorb, order, and retain information. Paying close attention, re- ally focusing, essentially keeps your brain sharp and pliable. But what is focus? 

Your brain has three types of focus, which researchers call attention:  

1. Selective attention, which you use when you’re doing one task and filtering out other input—filing your nails is an example of selective attention. 

2. Divided attention, which you use when you have to pay attention to several sources of input—crossing a street is a good example. You have to pay atten- tion to where you’re walking and look out for cars at the same time (in reality your brain switches between these tasks). 

3. Focused attention, which you use when you concentrate on one task for a long time—writing a lengthy report without interruption, for example.  

Focused attention is the type of focus that most people mean when they talk about having trouble focusing. But the fact is, researchers say people actually struggle more with tasks that require divided attention because it is more tiring for the brain. Research shows that the best way to build all of these types of focus is through practice—so practice crossing the street, filing your nails, and writing that report without getting distracted by Facebook, the television show you’d rather be watching, or your neighbor’s yappy dog.

Essential oils are distillations of plants that have plant-specific beneficial properties. Using the calming essential oils can help your brain by banishing stress. Some of the most popular include lavender, sage, sandalwood, frankincense, and chamomile. You can light scented candles, place fragrant potpourri throughout your home, or put a few drops of scented oil in your bathwater or on your pillow. Floral scents tend to work best, because food scents can make you hungry. Avoid tart or biting fragrances, such as lemon, because they may have the opposite effect, perking you up instead of calming you down. You may have to experiment until you find the scent that is right for you.

Don’t use essential oils under the following conditions without the consultation of a qualified practitioner:  

• If you are pregnant 

• If you have allergies 

• If you are receiving medical or psychiatric treatment 

• If you are taking homeopathic remedies 

• If you have any chronic or serious health problems, such as a heart condition  

However, aromatherapy is safe to use at home for minor or short term problems, such as mild depression or tension, so long as you follow safety guidelines:  

• Do not take essential oils internally or put them in your eyes. 

• Do not use essential oils to treat young children. 

• Keep all oils away from children. 

• Do not apply undiluted oils directly to the skin. 

According to Daniel G. Amen, MD, author of Making a Good Brain Great, when you feel an attraction to someone, areas deep in the brain, which are rich in the neurotransmitter dopamine, light up with pleasure. Extra dopamine courses through your body and brain, generating feelings of well-being. Your brain stem also activates, releasing phenylethylamine (PEA), which speeds the flow of information between nerve cells. “Taken together, the release of dopamine and PEA explains why, when we are around someone we are attracted to, we feel a ‘rush’ and our hearts beat faster. Attraction is a powerful drug,” reports Dr. Amen.

What does this have to do with flirting? Well, you flirt with people you’re attracted to (and hopefully they flirt back). The beauty of flirting is that there’s little risk to it. If you make an initial conversation starter and it’s not reciprocated, no big deal. But if your flirting is reciprocated, that lights up the pleasure centers of your brain and encourages you to do more, which gives you more dopamine, and the next thing you know, you’re a very happy person. So, add a little flirting to your life. It’s good for your brain.

Everyone knows that going out in the sun without sunscreen is bad, bad, bad. Right? Not so fast. “The push to prevent skin cancer may have come with unintended consequences,” Diane Welland wrote in an article for Scientific American. See, one of the easiest ways to get vitamin D, which helps neurotransmitters work, is to let the sun shine in. But if you slather your skin with sunscreen, your body can’t soak up that delicious vitamin D. People who use sunscreen all the time can create problems for their brains.

A study conducted by a group of European scientists found that subjects with vitamin D deficiency performed poorly on a number of tests. The less vitamin D they had, the worse their performance.

The body can get vitamin D from two sources—food and the sun. This vitamin is known as the “sunshine vitamin” because the body can make vitamin D after sunlight hits the skin. Your body’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight diminishes with age; therefore, requirements increase for older adults. Foods rich in vitamin D include fortified milk or juice, salmon, tuna, mushrooms, mackerel, and fortified breakfast cereals.

Because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it can be toxic in larger doses. Toxicity can lead to kidney stones or damage, weakened muscles and bones, excessive bleeding, and other health problems. Levels high enough to cause health complications usually come from supplements, not from food or too much sunlight. If you take a supplement that includes vitamin D, make sure it does not contain more than you need for your age range and gender. Vitamin D has a UL (upper limit) set at 50 micro grams (mcg) or 2,000 IUs (international units) per day for children and adults. There is no UL established for infants.

You need to fuel your brain throughout the day with nutritious food. Skipping meals can have numerous negative effects on your healthy lifestyle. Going without food for too long can make you so hungry that you overeat at your next eating opportunity, and you likely won’t eat as healthfully as you would have otherwise. Skipping meals can negatively affect your productivity, concentration, and energy level. Since your brain runs on glucose, not giving it enough makes you lose your ability to focus. If you go without for a long time, your brain basically stops being able to do anything but think about how hungry you are. Plus, your mood turns nasty. “Hangry” much? So make time and even schedule eating opportunities throughout the day. 

It can’t be overstated that what you eat affects the way your brain works. The brain gobbles up a huge proportion of the nutrients we put in our body. If those nutrients aren’t what they’re supposed to be, your brain will get off track. 

Here are the seven parts of a daily brain-healthy diet:  

1. Eat six to eleven servings of grains (bread, cereal, rice, pasta, and other grain foods). A serving is about 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1 ounce uncooked pasta or rice, or one slice of bread.

2. Eat at least three servings of vegetables. A serving of vegetables is generally 1 cup; for raw leafy greens, it’s 2 cups. 

3. Eat at least two servings of fruit. A serving is one medium fruit, or 1/2 cup canned or chopped fruit. 

4. Eat two or more servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. A serving of dairy is generally 1 cup of milk or yogurt, or 1.5 ounces of cheese.

5. Eat two to three servings of lean meat, poultry, fish, dried beans, eggs, or nuts. A serving is 1 ounce lean meat, 1/4 cup cooked beans, or 1/2 ounce nuts.

6. Eat a varied diet. 

7. Eat at least three well-balanced meals each day.  

If you fall short on any of these behaviors, you may benefit from taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement. Supplements are not meant to take the place of any food group or meal, but they can help round out what you may not eat every single day. Choose one food group at a time and try to gradually improve your daily eating pattern. Aim to eat at least the minimum number of servings each day. 

When you focus on what you love about your life, your emotional brain fires up. Gratitude helps support mental health. Many studies show that expressing gratitude helps healthy people stay healthy and reduces their feelings of depression and anxiety. Interestingly, a recent study of people suffering from depression and anxiety showed that writing a gratitude letter helped improve their mental health. People who used negative words in their writing gained fewer mental health benefits, suggesting that it’s the absence of negative words that helps people get the biggest boost from gratitude. Researchers theorize that writing about what you’re grateful for moves your attention away from negative emotions like envy and anger. You’re therefore less likely to fixate on bad things or experiences. The mental health benefits are true even if you don’t share your gratitude with anyone. The study also suggested that the effects are cumulative, so that if you practice gratitude frequently, you’ll see better results over a long time. So write out five things you’re grateful for today. Focus on what is making you feel lucky and good about your life. This trains your brain to focus on the love and pleasant experiences in your life. Do it long enough and you’ll effectively create a positive groove in your brain that will create ripple effects in your life.