Are you smart? No, really, answer honestly, do you think
you're smart? Well, do you think you can get smarter? No? You can. Trust me, it's
easy, and Yahoo!Xtra Answers, is going to show you how.
Over the next few weeks I'll prove that by devoting a few
minutes of every day to training your brain you'll be able to noticeably
increase your logic, learning, comprehension and memory skills using nothing
but your noodle and the amazing resource that is Yahoo!Xtra Answers.
Lets start by covering a few important functions of the brain (don't worry, this isn't going to be a science lesson).
Think of the brain as sort of like a big empty grid pattern. When you learn something like, "1+1=2", a simple path through the grid pattern is created. Even if you only learn it once, that path can not be broken. Once you learn "1+1=2", the knowledge is always stored somewhere in your brain. The more you use that neural path, the easier it is to find when someone asks you, "hey, what's 1+1?".
This simple formula is the building block to bigger and more complex formulas. If you are presented with a tougher equation say, "5x + 3 = 7" your brain utilises the path it created when you learned the easy equation. If you haven't used this path for a while, finding the solution to the tougher equation will be slow and difficult. If you keep the simple path strong through constant use, the equation becomes much simpler, and aids you in solving even more complex paths.
So how does this apply to us? Well, Let me introduce our first topic, logic.
We use logic every day of our lives, from simple things like figuring out how to program the VCR to the more complex parts of our own employment. If we strengthen the simple logic paths in our brain, anytime a complex problem emerges, we have a healthy brain to help us out.
One of the greatest ways to keep our logic paths in use is via riddles. That's right, the old, "what goes up and down a stairway but never moves" type of riddle. And what better place to find them than in our Jokes and Riddles section! If you spend just 15 minutes of your day solving riddles, the neural pathways in your brain will get stronger and stronger, and you, will get smarter and smarter.
Before you dig in, some helpful hints:
Don't get too discouraged if you can't solve the riddles, the very fact that you're exercising your brain is what counts.
Don't just read a riddle then try to find the answers straight away, you've got to do some work.
If you do capitulate after a few riddles ensure you learn from the experience. Was it the language used in the riddle that tricked you? Was is applying uncommon phrases? Try to figure out how the riddle worked and use that information next time you try to solve a riddle.
Keep this up for a few weeks, and you'll be amazed at how much progress you can make. Below are a few of my favourite riddles. They range from beginner to super-duper advanced.
Congratulations on your first step to training your brain.
Let's get started:
What never asks any questions at all, yet is often answered by short and tall?
The Einstein Riddle. Only 2% of people are said to be able to solve this one. You may need a pen and some paper...
Chris