Our brains are considered as the foundation of everything in our consciousness. In technological terms, it’s known to be the CPU or Central Processing Unit of our bodies. If you are not aware of that, the CPU is what makes computers work. Exposing this to regular problems and puzzles can dramatically improve its standing and its health. On the other hand, succumbing them to not-so-challenging tasks worsens and k***s neurons.
So, in order to keep them in good health, we need to exercise them regularly. Exercising the brain is like us visiting the gym. Difficult problems, fun games and scenarios, and all other things that would help us think MORE.
In this article, we’ve prepared some of the best brain teasers that you can use to exercise your brain on a regular basis.
Attention Experiments
Basing it on how it’s called, these types of experiments exercise the brain’s ability to be attentive. Moreover, this can gauge how well one’s brain can focus when needed. One example of this attention experiment is this video below.
It’s called Selective Attention Test and in the video, your goal is to count how many times the players wearing WHITE passes the ball. This is just one example; you can search the web for a different type of attention tests.
- How many F’s are there in this sentence?
Optical Illusions
As a child succumbed to the modernism of technology, we surely have seen a few optical illusions. If you’ve been living under a rock, optical illusions are visual images that are tricky or that are not the way they are – or not how you’re supposed to see them. They’re made to trick the mind to think or to force the mind to look at things differently.
Here are links to some of the examples of optical illusions:
- Classic optical illusions at sharpbrains.com
- A more complex set of optical illusions at list25.com
Crossword puzzles/Jigsaw puzzles
Puzzles can be a bit intimidating at first but once you get the h**g of it, you don’t ever want to stop. Crosswords can be a mental train ride. From something you are sure of to something you’ve never heard before, it’ll surely get those gears up and running! Although crossword puzzles doesn’t really help a person’s memory or cognition, research found out that it can keep the brain young and even keep Alzheimer’s or Dementia away.
Jigsaw puzzles on the other hand tackle a bit more of the cognitive part of our brains. It can enhance visual perception, improve memory, develop critical thinking, and many more. According to one study, attending or working on jigsaw puzzles actually relaxes the brain. It soothes the brain and then allows it to generate a smooth and healthy thinking process.
Logical problems/questions/puzzles
Now for me, this is the type of brain teaser that would really get my mind going. In this type of brain teaser, we are forced to think outside the box. There are scenarios that really would make you feel dumb but there are that requires a ton of focus and way of thinking.
Answers for the questions would be below (No peeking at the answers! Don’t cheat; you’re cheating to yourself)
- There was a father and a child driving up in the highway. An accident happened and the car of the two crashed. Passersby and citizens came up to the accident to try and save the father and child. When they reached the site, they announced and was sure that the father was dead. The child however, was crying and was slightly injured. They ran up to the hospital to mend the child; when they got there, the doctor was in shock. “I cannot operate on this child, he’s my son!” How can this be?
- When I was 6, my sister was half of my age. Now that I am 80, how old is my sister?
- A woman was at her mother’s funeral one day. While there, she met a man that truly intrigued her and she wanted to know him more. She was just doing her rounds, greeting other visitors then she remembered she forgot to ask for the man’s name and number. She tried looking for him but he is nowhere to be found as the man just left. A week later, the woman k***s her sister. Why did she k**l her sister?
- An electric train in London was travelling Northward with the speed of 70km/h. When Eastward, it slows down a bit and travels 60km/h. Heading South, it speeds up at 90 km/h. When it travels NorthWest, at what coordinates do the smoke travel to?
- A man was standing on the side of a river. On the other side of the river stands his dog. The man whistles and the dog immediately runs up to him crossing the river without getting wet, injured, or wounded. How can this be?
- You are in a race and you’re in 3rd place. You run past the 2nd placer; what place are you in?
REMEMBER, NO CHEATING. THESE ARE JUST A BRAIN EXERCISES! 🙂
Answers:
- The doctor was the mother
- 77. My sister is 3 years younger than me.
- She k****d her sister with the hopes that the man would return to their family’s funeral.
- Electric trains don’t exhaust smoke
- The river was frozen
- 2nd place, you just b**t the runner up, not the leading.
Our brains are the primes who make our bodies’ function. Without it, we’re just one big piece of meat and bones. Take good care of your brain like how you take good care of your body.
Nutrition
This might be a bit out of the context but it’s still essential in keeping our brains healthy. The food we eat drastically impacts the statuses of our brains as well. Eating food that are high in fats and oil is in no way healthy for the brain. Other than the fact that it doesn’t contain nutrients our brains need, it’s not ALWAYS good for our bodies.
The best brain foods that would positively impact our brain’s health would be:
Blueberries
According to an animal study, blueberries or also known as brainberries are effective in keeping the brain from chronically aging. Regular consumption of blueberries can help decrease the risk or even completely stray away Dementia or Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, this study also stated that a significant amount of these berries in diets showed improvement in both motor skills and capacity of thinking in aging rats, making them equivalent to young rats.
Avocados
Good ‘ole avocados. Well it’s a “no-brainer” to think that avocados can significantly improve brain health. According to Steven Pratt, MD, avocados are as healthy as blueberries in this context. Although avocados hold a lot of fat, these are monounsaturated fat which promotes a better and a healthier blood flow.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate contains powerful antioxidants that help the brain and even the whole body flush toxins away. Moreover, it also has a natural stimulant including caffeine which enhances concentration and focus. It also helps stimulate the production of endorphins which help improve an individual’s mood.
Take good care of your brain because that is the organ that would take you places and in even farther in life. Just like any other part of the body, exercising it and improving it takes time. You will reap the benefits when you get there, believe me.
