THE ROUGH GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGYfits, including better motor control, superior task switching and better
visual short-term memory. The puzzle game Tetris is also associated
with benefits, including improved neural efficiency and increased grey
matter volume.
What about the Internet? Relevant evidence is thin on the ground.
On the one hand, a 2009 study by Stanford University researchers
found that so-called “media multitaskers” (students who tended to use
several media at once, such as browsing the web and listening to the
radio) were more easily distracted by irrelevant information and found
it more difficult to switch tasks. On the other hand, University of Cali-
fornia researchers published a study that same year showing that when
experienced Internet users performed Google searches, activity in their
Five ways to boost your brain power
- Eat breakfast One of the simplest things you can do to boost your
brain power is to make sure that you eat a healthy meal in the
morning. In a 2005 literature review, nutritionist Gail Rampersaud
looked at the results of 22 studies and found that children and
adolescents who ate breakfast subsequently showed better memory
performance and/or test grades than their classmates who skipped
breakfast. But make sure you choose one of the less sugary cereals
with a low glycaemic index (GI). Psychologist Keith Wesnes tracked
the mental performance of children through the morning and found
that those who’d eaten the low GI All Bran, rather than the high GI
Coco Pops, showed less decline as the day wore on. - Use smart drugs Research is uncovering a number of smart drugs or
“cognitive enhancers” that seem to boost the mental performance of
healthy people, without having serious adverse effects. One such drug
is Modafinil, which was originally used to treat excessive sleepiness.
In a 2003 study, for example, Danielle Turner and colleagues at the
University of Cambridge found the average memory performance and
reaction times of forty healthy people given modafinil were improved
compared with twenty people given a placebo. Of course there are
always risks associated with taking drugs, and in 2007, the psycholo-
gists Barbara Sahakian and Sharon Morein-Zamir – concerned about
the use of the drugs to fight jet lag or to boost productivity – called for
a debate on the regulation of cognitive enhancers. - Exercise Physical exercise is good for your mind, not just your body.
It has been shown to improve mood and to aid mental performance,
probably because it increases blood flow to the brain. What’s more,
Nicola Lautenschlager and colleagues showed that it’s never too late
to start. They studied older adults with mild memory problems and