15 ways to think better

Learn to kickstart your thinking

How many times have you felt your brain just switch off? And why does

it usually happen just before you're about to write a memo to the boss

and you're staring at a blank screen or piece of paper? According to

James Thornton, author of The Brain Yields its Secrets, it isn't that

we lose intelligence as we age. It's just that we need to improve our

ability to think. So take a breather, and have a look at Thornton‘s 15

suggestions for thinking better and stirring up the creative juices:

1. Time it right. Most older people think more clearly in the morning;

most younger people, in the afternoon. Work out when your own best

'thinking time' is and set it aside it for your most challenging brain

work.

2. Get a good education - but don't overdo it. Psychologist Dean Keith

Simonton says that too much specialised higher education can damage

your ability to think creatively. 'You don't become a great novelist

by getting a PhD in creative writing.'

3. Listen to Confucius. Writing things down is the number one memory

aid used by memory researchers themselves. As the Chinese proverb puts

it, the weakest ink lasts longer than the best memory.

4. Kick start your day. Research shows that the amount of caffeine in

a cup of coffee can help you concentrate. But if you're prone to

anxiety, you're probably better off avoiding it.

5. Anchor new memories to established ones. 'Think of your existing

memory as a scaffold upon which to fit new information,' says

cognitive researcher Denise Park. 'Don't isolate new information.

Always relate it to something.'

6. Practise, practise, practise. Learning and repeatedly practising

new skills appears to change the brain's internal organisation. A

study showed that periodic training sessions helped volunteers in

their 70s perform better in cognitive and memory tasks than they had

when they were seven years younger. 'Practice really helps,' says

psychologist Len Giambra. 'A well-practised older person will be

faster than an unpractised younger person.'

7. Give your ideas a chance. Many of us are rewarded for our abilities

to rapidly evaluate facts and make quick decisions. Creativity demands

a much more leisurely and playful approach - a willingness to give

'absurd' ideas a chance.

8. Pick a stimulating profession and an intelligent partner.

Intriguing studies from Poland suggest that people whose careers

demand they exercise their intellect are more likely to sustain high

levels of mental performance during their lives. Marrying someone

intelligent may also provide you with ongoing stimulation.

9. Expose yourself to multiple experiences. Creativity often boils

down to the ability to adapt solutions from one aspect of life to

another. Velcro for instance, was inspired by burrs that stick to your

clothing. The 'ring-pull' top on cans was originally based on the way

a banana is peeled.

10. Learn from Leonardo. In his book, How to Think Like Leonardo da

Vinci, author Michael Gelb offers several brain-enriching strategies

that worked for the ultimate Renaissance man. Among them: learning to

juggle and drawing with your non-writing hand.

11. Pay attention. Do you sometimes find yourself 'forgetting' someone

’s name seconds after meeting them? The problem isn't memory; it's

concentration. As we get older, we must consciously remind ourselves

to commit information to memory.

12. Listen to Mozart. An experimental psychologist has found evidence

supporting the 'Mozart Effect' - that is, a brain exposed to Mozart's

music grows more complex connections. This allows faster, integrated

access to more information.

13. Exercise the body to improve the mind. An increasing amount of

research now supports the idea that aerobic workouts can have a

beneficial effect on a number of things, including educational

performance. It is suspected that this works by increasing oxygen and

nutrient supplied to the brain, plus a boost in natural compounds

called neurotrophins, which promote brain cell growth. Some studies

show mixed results. But exercise has so many other benefits that it

definitely makes sense to do it regularly.

14. Try something new. Near the end of his life, Impressionist painter

Henri Matisse revitalised his art by exchanging brushes for scissors,

which he used to create a series of brilliant paper cut-outs. Such

experimentation appears to be the hallmark of successful creativity,

says psychologist Dean Keith Simonton. In a study that compared

creative people who burn out with those who continue to create, he

says the main difference was that the latter were constantly exposing

themselves to new knowledge.

15. End distractions. If you're bombarded with irrelevant stimuli,

it's hard to focus. When you absolutely must do something (complete a

report, for instance) try unplugging the phone and putting a do not

disturb sign on your door.

And don't forget to follow your passion. Recently, a Dutch

psychologist tried to work out what separated chess masters from chess

grandmasters. He subjected groups of each to a battery of tests - IQ,

memory, spatial reasoning. He found no difference between them in any

of the tests. The only difference was that grandmasters simply loved

chess more. They had more passion and demonstrated more commitment to

it. Passion may well be the key to creativity.