| If you're of a certain age, and have started to wonder | | | | One of the sites I looked at is called Their brain |
| if your memory is slipping, you're not alone. | | | | exercises are games that are designed by some of |
| I'm wondering the same thing. Every little slip that | | | | the leading neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists |
| happens I think...is this the beginning of something | | | | from Stanford and UCSF. |
| serious? Well, it probably isn't but it does get you | | | | I, personally, found the games pretty stimulating. There's |
| thinking. What's the point of lasting into ripe old age if | | | | one called Raindrops that's a processing speed |
| you can't remember how to tie your shoes? There's a | | | | exercise that uses arithmetic to challenge your brain to |
| lot of recent research around that supports the idea | | | | process information more quickly. Research shows |
| that the brain can be improved with "exercise", just like | | | | that processing speed can be a bottleneck for other |
| the rest of the body. Actually, memory training courses | | | | cognitive processes, and improvements can help you |
| have been around for a long time. The latest research | | | | to solve problems and learn faster. |
| really just provides more support for the fact that | | | | There's another called Memory Match. It is designed to |
| memory exercises really can result in an improved | | | | exercise working memory and attention by requiring |
| short term memory. | | | | you to store the order of 3 items at once while |
| And it's so easy to do, now that all these techniques | | | | repeatedly updating these items. It is based on the |
| and exercises are available online, that it really makes | | | | n-back task, which is often used in psychology as a |
| sense to try it. | | | | training and measuring tool for working memory. |
| You can find a number off sites that offer "games" | | | | So, this stuff can make a real difference. If you think |
| designed to improve and maintain memory and other | | | | that you're slowing down little, maybe it's time to fight |
| aspects of our perceptual skills, such as concentration, | | | | back. You can try one of the online sites or just start |
| for example. In fact, just trying something new appears | | | | being more mentally active. It's all too easy to slowly |
| to have great benefits also. Some reports show that | | | | slide into a state where we don't push ourselves past |
| learning to play an instrument, or starting to do word | | | | the basic necessities - and that's bad! Get a new |
| puzzles can go a long way toward keeping out brain in | | | | hobby, do a crossword puzzle, or try some of the |
| shape. | | | | games online - and stay young! |