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Ask HN: Ways to Improve Cognition?

by 4AoZqrH2fsk5UB on 1/5/20, 6:28 PM with 9 comments

I was reading the [television and cognitive decline](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39354-4) thread and it got me thinking: what are the best (i.e. most efficient and proven effective) ways to improve cognition?

It seems there are a lot of services out there that purport to provide some benefit, but I'm hoping some folks in this community can point to something true, even if it isn't necessarily fashionable.

  • by helph67 on 1/5/20, 10:55 PM

  • by PaulHoule on 1/5/20, 6:35 PM

    Exercise, particularly cardio. Somewhere around 45 min of cardio, the production of endorphins really kicks in. It can make street drugs look like candy.

    For general health, weight training is more important than cardio, but for mental health, stress resilience, and cognition, cardio is our more powerful tool.

  • by notduncansmith on 1/9/20, 2:25 AM

    I think changing the way you think has more value than anything else - trying to get better at thinking by optimizing your biology is like trying to become a better programmer by buying a faster computer.

    Read about mental models, read about meaningness, and learn to view the world as a fractal system of systems. I find that reading about ecology, psychology, and sociology to be particularly helpful in building/debugging my mental models, especially my models of other people’s models.

    That said, getting enough sleep and exercise wouldn’t hurt.

  • by MilnerRoute on 1/5/20, 11:11 PM

    Yeah, I came here to say: Exercise.

    I was just reading a book called "The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind." One chapter discusses the 21st-century discovery of the brain's ability to create new brain cells in a crucial area....after exercise. It ran counter to 100 years of biological theory, but it was confirmed and confirmed again.

    Exercise.

    The only thing I'd add is: lowering stress. (Because stress damages your brain.) Meditation, sleeping well, having a healthy social life can all help. Basically, if you start taking basic steps to improve your general health...you will in fact improve.

  • by diyseguy on 1/6/20, 12:33 AM

    I've subjectively noticed improvement using Lions Mane Mushroom supplements as well as self-administered ultrasound treatments and TENS

  • by benkarst on 1/5/20, 7:06 PM

    I'm not a doctor but I've noticed some celebrities who are aging well participate in high-risk physical activities. This is true for some of my friends too.

    Motorcycling (Keanu Reaves), martial arts (Joe Rogan), surfing (Anthony Keidis).

    If you put your body at risk, your mind has no choice but to stay quick. Be careful though!

  • by Tilian on 1/5/20, 11:05 PM

    A sufficient amount of sleep. What constitutes 'sufficient' is likely quite individual.

  • by jp42 on 1/6/20, 8:41 PM

    Like many comments here...exercise is the key. currently I am reading 'Spark' book by John Ratey, you might want to check this book. He explains really well how brain improves with aerobic exercise.