Seven Secrets to Turbocharge Your brain
Seven Secrets to Turbocharge Your Brain
Posted on July 6, 2018 by TriVita
By Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D.
The brain is the most powerful, most staggeringly complex electro-biochemical machine ever created. Above and behind our eyes are 100 billion neurons in a small calcium shell, laced with organic pumps, channels, and switches.
Until recently, this complicated organ was thought to be static and unchangeable. The latest cognitive neuroscience research reveals new ways to improve brain health in people of all ages and stages. These discoveries are more important now than ever.
I recently presented my research at a TEDx event — focused on how brain insights deepen our understanding of the world around us.
Look inward to the “final frontier”
Some of today’s most fascinating scientific breakthroughs are about the world within us — our brains. The human brain is still a vast frontier of discovery.
I’ve developed seven scientifically validated strategies to elevate brain performance. They’re grounded in over 30 years of research at the Center for BrainHealth, which I founded at the University of Texas at Dallas.
These “7 Secrets” often run counter to modern habits and pressures. Our overloaded, distracted lifestyle is not brain-friendly — and that’s a problem.
The majority of people still have the opportunity to radically improve their brain performance. Without brain health, we have no health at all.
Secret 1: Start Single-Tasking
Multi-tasking is a myth. The brain rapidly switches between tasks — exhausting mental resources and triggering stress hormones. Single-focus attention increases accuracy and innovation.
Secret 2: Limit Information
We now face 200× more information daily than 20 years ago. High performers excel at filtering out noise. Selective attention is now a competitive advantage.
Secret 3: Detox Distractions
People are interrupted every three minutes on average. Technology trains us to crave disruption. Silence devices, close doors, and reclaim cognitive control.
Secret 4: Think Big
The brain can zoom in and out — but too much detail overloads it. Step back. Big-picture thinking drives transformative solutions.
Secret 5: Calibrate Mental Effort
Mental energy depletes. Align high-priority work with your brain’s peak alertness — typically in the morning.
Secret 6: Innovate
Novelty fuels brain growth. New skills, new ideas, new challenges — they all drive neural expansion.
Secret 7: Motivate
Meaning accelerates mastery. When you care deeply about a task, learning accelerates — and the brain strengthens.
This article is for educational purposes only.
