Here are 23 simple things you can do (in five minutes or less) to improve your brain health. Do one of them each day. Keep it up for a few short weeks and your brain will sing your praises.
Attitude of gratitude
The act of being grateful improves mental health in a number of ways, such as making the grateful person less prone to depression and fostering stronger relationships. Becoming more grateful can also change the structure of your brain.
One group of scientists used MRI studies to demonstrate that volunteers who practiced daily gratitude had changes in brain anatomy. Neuroplasticity (the ability of brain cells to change) allowed their brain to rewire and resulted in increased happiness.
In one recent experiment, scientists studied the brains of 136 young, healthy adult volunteers with MRI. They found that the ratio of grey matter (thinking cells) to white matter (transmission cables) was variable, based upon how much gratitude the volunteers exhibited. The area of the brain affected in these experiments was the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The mPFC has many functions. It helps guide behavior and alters emotional states (e.g., happiness) by relaying signals to remote brain structures associated with sensory processing, memory, and emotions.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Write a thank you note to someone on a Post-It (your husband for washing the dishes, the mailman for keeping his appointed rounds in the wind and snow).
Generous brain = happy brain
A prominent group of scientists reported that test subjects who spent money on others were happier than those who spent money on themselves. These researchers then examined the volunteers’ brains with MRI. The results revealed that generous people have a stronger white matter (cables of the brain) linkage between a brain area that contributes to happiness (ventral striatum) and the part of the brain that helps assess an action’s morality (temporoparietal junction).
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Buy an extra box of cookies when the Girl Scouts ring the bell.
Increase your optimism
Optimism and anxiety are at war in your brain. Whichever one wins will change your brain structure forever. Scientists have reported that optimistic people have more activity in the front part of the cingulate gyrus (region that processes emotions and behavior) and orbitofrontal cortex (region of the brain that helps make high-level decisions). Scientists have also reported that these areas of the brain may be hypoactive (not working properly) in depressed individuals. Because of neuroplasticity (the ability of brain cells to change), the power of positive thinking may help protect against depression.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Daily practice of optimism. Recognize the single best thing that happened today and recite it aloud.
Active body = healthy brain
You can protect your brain by moving your body. Scientists have reported that most types of exercise will improve your brain health. A daily walk, especially in nature, or lifting weights has been shown to improve cognitive function.
Frequent and regular aerobic exercise is particularly beneficial. One group of scientists demonstrated that exercise that elevates your heart rate and is performed 4 or 5 times a week for 30 minutes per session may even prevent dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers reported the strongest benefit in a part of the brain called the hippocampus (memory part of the brain). This type of activity decreases the accumulation of toxic proteins that can cause amyloid plaque (seen in Alzheimer’s disease) and damage neurons (brain cells).
Not everyone has the time or ability to embark upon an extensive exercise program. Have no fear. Even much more limited physical activity has been proven to benefit the brain. The left hemisphere (side) of your brain is different than the right. The two sides have unique functions. When the left and right sides of your brain communicate, your whole brain works better. The main connection between the two sides of the brain is a thick band of white matter (axons) called the corpus callosum. Exercises that require coordination of all four limbs (cross-country skiing, elliptical machine) improve the rapport between the two sides of the brain. Complex, cross-body activities, such as juggling, improve the wiring of your brain (white matter) and increase the volume of the thinking part of your brain (grey matter).
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Practice a dance move. This will get you up and moving and will involve both sides of your body.
Train your brain (it’s not in vain)
“Use it or lose it” is an adage that can be applied to your brain function. In the same way that you might budget time for the gym, you should schedule exercise time for your brain. Neuroscientists have reported that rigorous mental activities, like a game of chess or sudoku, can cause your brain to release dopamine (a neurotransmitter, a chemical that passes between neurons (brain cells)). These beneficial chemicals fortify those parts of the brain and improve your learning abilities.
We all know dopamine as the reward neurotransmitter. But it’s so much more. For instance, a paucity of dopamine-producing cells is found in an area of the midbrain called the substantia nigra. Dopamine production in the master gland of the brain (pituitary) is also involved in breastfeeding.
Dopamine has been reported to foster neuroplasticity (the ability of brain cells to change) across synapses (connections between cells) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The VTA is part of the primitive reward area of the brainstem (midbrain). It has been implicated in creating an imperative to learn.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Play a memory game. Take a deck of cards and separate out four pairs (eight cards). Place them face down in a random pattern on the coffee table (don’t peek). Turn them over (and back face down) one at a time until you identify the location of all the pairs.
Art appreciation
Viewing the Mona Lisa is good for your brain. So is admiring the dinosaur (even if it looks more like a big bug) that your kindergarten-age daughter hung askew on the refrigerator. Humans have been creating art for 40,000 years. Scientists have reported that viewing artistic images increases the blood flow to your brain and also activates the reward area of your brain.
Why is increased blood flow potentially beneficial to your brain? Among the many reasons is this: Scientists, studying the skulls of our evolutionary ancestors, determined that the rate of blood flow to the brain may be a better indication of cognitive ability than brain size alone.
Even absent-mindedly doodling improves connectivity within an important circuit of the brain, the default mode network (DMN). The DMN is a wide network of far-flung neuronal nodes in the neocortex, wired together by white matter (axonal) cables. The DMN is involved in inner thoughts such as reminiscing, future planning, imagining, and thinking about others.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Google Mona Lisa or kindergarten dinosaur drawing today and investigate a different famous (or not so famous) artwork.
Buen día cerebro
Be it speaking, reading, or listening—bonus for the trifecta!—a foreign tongue supercharges your brain.
Researchers have reported that multilingual people accrue less atrophy (wasting away) of the brain as they age than their single-language-speaking peers. Think of brain atrophy as facial wrinkles: to some degree, it happens to all of us as we get older. Like so many things in life, though, less is more.
As if less atrophy weren’t enough, the brains of polyglots have been found to have areas that are more developed than those of mono-linguists, such as the bilateral dorsolateral frontal cortices (responsible for the executive function of the brain). Other studies have proven that those who learn a new language are less likely to have progressive dementia (including the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease).
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: 5 words in 5 minutes isn’t too ambitious. The words can all be from one foreign language… or (even more fun) the same word in 5 different languages.
Good breakfast = sharper mind
You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A 2019 study backs that up. It revealed that 9th and 10th-grade students who went to school with full bellies achieved higher GPAs than their peers who showed up for class after skipping breakfast. The results were most significant among socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
And what you feed your kids (and eat yourself, for that matter) matters too. In 2024, Chilean scientists investigated the correlation between adolescent academic achievement and eating style.
The researchers discovered that those adolescents who enjoyed a Mediterranean-style diet excelled in the classroom too. They were head and shoulders above their peers who had poor diets in the domains of problem-solving, reasoning ability, memory, and inhibitory control. Their report cards reflected their cognitive superiority. The kids who feasted on the Mediterranean-type diet had significantly better grades than their peers in science, history, language arts, and mathematics.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Don’t skip breakfast. If you don’t have time for a stack of pancakes and some scrambled eggs, at least grab an oatmeal bar.
Turn up the heat
A hot shower soothes your sore muscles and makes you feel brand new. Not only that, but it is also good for your brain.
Scientists have discovered that hot showers increase your brain’s production of BDNF.
What is BDNF?
I’m glad you asked.
BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is a protein found in the brain, spine, and nerves. BDNF helps neurons (brain and nerve cells) in several ways.
BDNF has been found to be essential in allowing neurons to thrive, grow, and mature.
BDNF has been demonstrated to improve the function of the hippocampus (part of the brain responsible for memory formation) and basal forebrain (part of the brain that promotes and facilitates learning).
BDNF encourages the growth and differentiation of new neurons (nerve cells) and synapses (areas where nerves join).
BDNF enhances the survival of neurons subjected to certain degenerative diseases. In Parkinson’s disease (PD), BDNF enhances the survival of dopaminergic neurons, improves dopaminergic neurotransmission, and motor performance.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: You’re in the shower anyway. Enjoy the heat for a minute longer, for your brain’s sake.
Gather ’round the campfire.
Flickering firelight soothes your brain.
Mild light, projected in an abstract and ever-shifting pattern, has a calming effect on your mind. It has been dubbed the “campfire” or “hearth effect.” It’s not just the fluid, visual pattern of a flickering flame that’s important. It’s the whole multisensory experience, including the crackling sounds, comforting warmth, and distinctive smell.
Our ancestors gathered around a communal fire for warmth, cooking, and to keep animals and insects at bay. Over the course of countless millennia, the survival advantage that the campfire conferred on our forefathers was baked into the evolution of the human social brain. The feeling has persisted to this day and age. Sitting around a stone hearth or gazing at similar modern stimuli (even a lava lamp) strikes a chord, providing a sense of safety for many of us. A cozy campfire on a chilly night has the power to induce a mental state of relaxation and kinship. A blazing bonfire may provide not just physical warmth but social warmth.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Throw another log on the fire.
Friendly brain = healthy brain
It’s long been known that those with the strongest social bonds live longest. Researchers have reported that meaningful friendships may improve your blood pressure, your sleep, your stress responses, and your immune system.
Friendship is essential for brain health too. Social interaction has been shown to improve thinking (cognitive function), language, and memory in older individuals.
Besides, people hate being alone. How much? A lot. In a 2014 study, scientists from Virginia and Harvard gave volunteers a choice: either sit alone in a room (for no more than fifteen minutes) with nothing to do but think; or give themselves a painful electric shock. A shockingly high number chose the jolt.
Why do most people hate being alone? Socialization is an evolutionarily ancient basic need. The same part of your brain that causes you to crave social interaction when you’re lonely, causes you to crave food when you’re famished. In 2020, researchers from MIT mandated either social isolation or fasting on a group of forty volunteers. The scientists quizzed the volunteers about their level of hunger or loneliness and subjected them to fMRI. Under conditions of both nutritional and social deprivation, the exact same areas in the brainstem (most ancient part of the brain, sometimes referred to as the reptilian brain) were activated: the ventral tegmental area (a midbrain area associated with reward) and the substantia nigra (a midbrain area associated with reward and movement).
Loneliness is brain poison. Being isolated may lead to widespread brain atrophy (wasting away). A group of Philadelphian researchers raised mice in a social setting. When the animals reached adulthood, the scientists moved half of the mice; isolating them in shoebox-sized cages with no opportunities for socialization. The researchers reported that the lonely mice had a shrinkage of their neurons (brain cells) by about twenty percent. Follow-up research by other teams has demonstrated that if isolated mice were returned to a social environment, new neurons were generated in the hippocampus (a part of the brain responsible for memory).
A 2012 study performed by scientists at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience may have come closest to isolating a human brain region associated with social processes. The London-based researchers determined the subjective level of loneliness in 108 volunteers. All participants then underwent MRI scans and the volume of various regions of the brain was measured. It was determined that lonely individuals have less grey matter in the top back part of their temporal lobes (an area that is involved in auditory perception) on the left side.
Loneliness may adversely affect intelligence. A Canadian pediatrician explained that everyone is born with the potential to achieve a certain amount of cognitive ability (thinking, remembering, language function). Whether or not you live up to your intellectual potential may be based on how much loneliness you experience (especially during your formative years). And once you’ve achieved your personal maximum level of executive brain function, whether or not you keep it may be based on maintaining a sizable social network of family and friends and participating regularly in social activities such as clubs, religious services, or volunteer work. Maintaining activity in the brain regions required to talk, listen, and relate to others supports memory, language, and cognitive function. Studies reported in a 2021 Wall Street Journal article revealed that older adults who are less lonely suffer less cognitive decline and are at a lower risk for dementia.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Reach out to a friend today. For your health and theirs.
Forgiving brain = resilient brain
Let’s start with three things I wish I did more like my dog:
- Love completely: when he decides to give his slobbery love to you, he doesn’t hold back anything
- Live in the moment: when he goes on a walk with you, he’s not spending the whole time on his smartphone
- Forgive easily: he hates when you take him to the vet, but he never holds a grudge
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to give you a dog brain. But, hey, we can learn a lot from our canine companions. When you forgive someone who wronged you, your brain fortifies neuronal (brain cell) pathways and builds emotional resilience. On the other hand, when you hold a grudge, important neuronal connections in your brain shut down.
In 2013, Italian scientists discovered the brain regions that benefited the most from a forgiving heart. They recruited volunteers who underwent functional brain imaging (fMRI) as they elicited different emotional states (resentment, empathy, forgiveness, anger, hostility, vengefulness). They discovered the brain regions that lit up most during forgiveness were the precuneus (a part of the brain that allows one to feel in control of one’s actions and events in the external world), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (an area of the brain that controls executive functions), and right inferior parietal region (an area of the brain that integrates perception of emotion, sensory information, mathematics, language, and body image).
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Whether they’re sorry for what they’ve done or not, let go of the grudge and forgive someone.
Use your whole brain.
The left hemisphere (half) of your brain is different from the right. The main connection between the two sides of the brain is a thick band of white matter (axons) called the corpus callosum (a veritable superhighway of axonal connectors). If you’d like to give your corpus callosum a workout, bang on some bongos.
In their 2019 investigation, German researchers discovered numerous benefits that playing drums conferred on the brain. The researchers tested 20 drummers who played at a professional level for an average of 17 years and practiced for more than 10 hours per week. They examined the volunteers using various MRI imaging techniques to determine the structure and function of the brain. The scientists then compared the musicians’ brains with a group of 24 non-musicians.
The scientists discovered differences in the front part of the corpus callosum between the drummers and non-musicians. The drummers had fewer but thicker axons, which connected the right and left brain hemispheres. The thicker cables allowed musicians to exchange information between the hemispheres more quickly than the other group of volunteers. The researchers also found that the thickness of the corpus callosum fibers was proportional to the skill level and performance of the drummers.
Getting the two sides of your brain (the left side is often more logical and the right side is often more artistic) communicating more efficiently improves creativity and problem-solving.
The motor cortex (part of the brain that controls movement) of the drummers was also reported to be more efficient than that of the non-musicians. And wouldn’t we all like our brains to be a little more efficient? The scientists requested the volunteers perform a movement that did not include drumming or music. The drummers’ brains were able to remain quieter while accomplishing the task, a phenomenon called “sparse sampling.” This indicated that the musicians had a brain organization that was more adept at creating and controlling movement than their non-musical peers.
Are the drums just too noisy for you? Not to worry.
Brain function is improved when different areas (movement, vision, reward) work together. This process is called brain network integration and may be enhanced by exercises that require coordination of all four limbs (cross-country skiing, elliptical machine).
Complex, cross-body activities, such as juggling, improve the wiring of your brain (white matter) and increase the volume of the thinking part of your brain (grey matter).
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Pick up three balls and learn to juggle.
Meditation
The spectators say, “Hey, that dude’s got one buff brain.”
“Yeah. He’s got the cortex of a twenty-year-old.”
Meditation may shave decades off your brain’s age: I’m deep into my fifties now, and there’s little danger of anyone mistaking my paunch for a six-pack. But, due to my meditation practice, if you threw me in the MRI tube, you might be awed by the thunderous oohs and ahhs of MRI connoisseurs.
Even if you have as many grey hairs as I do, you too can shave decades off your brain’s age.
In 2005, Dr. Sara Lazar, together with co-workers at Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Yale, observed that long-term meditation practice is associated with altered electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns (a test that records the electrical activity of the brain). This suggested long-lasting changes in brain activity. This finding led the neuroscientists to hypothesize that meditation was also associated with changes in the brain’s physical structure.
The researchers recruited twenty volunteers who had extensive meditation experience. They subjected the participants to MRIs and studied the volume of various brain regions compared to non-meditation practitioners.
The investigators reported that brain regions associated with attention, introspection, and sensory processing were thicker in meditation participants than matched controls, including the prefrontal cortex (an area associated with executive functions) and the front of the insular cortex (an area that controls empathetic emotional responses) on the right side. The differences observed in prefrontal cortical thickness were most pronounced in older participants, suggesting that meditation might offset age-related cortical thinning. Interestingly, despite the effects of aging on the prefrontal cortex, the average cortical thickness of the 40-50-year-old meditation participants was similar to the average thickness of 20-30-year-old controls, suggesting that regular practice of meditation may slow the rate of neural degeneration in that area.
Spend quality time with your pet.
Not only man’s best friend … your dog may boost your brain function.
It’s in the DNA: an evaluation of dog and human genetics reveals that receptors on our neurons (brain cells) and theirs evolved to complement each other. When you pet your dog, your brain and your dog’s brain get in sync. Animal and human brains simultaneously release oxytocin, opioids, adrenaline, and serotonin (great reward chemicals and anti-stress chemicals).
What’s more, a 2023 investigation revealed owning a pet is good for your cognition. A multi-institutional group of researchers evaluated more than 1,300 people. The brain benefit of pet ownership was most profound for those test subjects who were older than sixty-five years of age. People who owned a pet for more than five years had significantly superior memory compared to those who didn’t own pets.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Tell your dog how good she is and scratch behind her ears.
Active visualization
When you close your eyes and visualize, you activate networks of neurons (brain cells) often between far-flung parts of the brain. The circuitry that joins the brain networks becomes stronger and the brain benefits.
Researchers have demonstrated that imagining exercise can be almost as effective as performing the equivalent exercise. In one 2004 study, researchers assigned half of 30 volunteers to physically train their little fingers. They increased strength by 53 percent. The other group imagined doing the same training and increased strength nearly as much, 35 percent.
Norwegian scientists proved that visualization results in phenomena that can be physically tested. In 2014, they investigated whether the pupils of your eyes adjust to imagined light in the same way they do to real light. They asked volunteers to view real shapes that appeared on a screen but asked them to imagine the shapes to be in either a sunny sky or a dark room. Using infrared eye-tracking technology, the scientists measured the changes in diameter of the test subjects’ pupils. If a participant was asked to visualize bright light, her pupils constricted almost as much as they would in the sunshine. If she was asked to visualize the shape in darkness, her pupils dilated almost as much as they would if she were sitting in a dark room.
Scientists at Stanford took things a step further. In 2018, they devised an electronic machine and surgically implanted it into the motor cortex of several monkeys. The motor cortex is an area of the brain that allows us to move our face and body. The monkeys’ brains were connected to a computer, a brain-computer interface (BCI).
The investigators studied the monkeys’ brain activity as they moved a cursor across the computer screen using only their minds. Afterwards, the monkeys were detached from the machines and were able to move the cursor without ever having practiced in the real world. Mental rehearsal was demonstrated to be almost as good as real-world practice.
Not all visualizations are equal. As discussed above, mental rehearsal can make you better at something in the real world. On the other hand, if you just want to buff up your brain, think of something ethereal. Turning your thoughts outwards, thinking of things outside yourself (especially pleasant things), tends to make you happier. Linking thoughts to sensations increases vibrancy and increases the benefit to your brain.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less per day: Close your eyes and visualize.
Use your non-dominant hand.
Mix it up a little, for your brain’s sake. Performing everyday tasks in different ways than you’re used to can give your brain a “jump start” and spur a cascade of brain reactions that may permanently improve your brain structure and function. Exploring new avenues is not only fun, but also may promote neuroplasticity and neurogenesis: your brain cells (neurons) and connections between cells have the capability to change (neuroplasticity) throughout life. What’s more, even as an adult, you can grow new brain cells (neurogenesis).
In 2024, Italian neuroscientists recruited more than forty right-handed volunteers. The researchers measured brain waves (electroencephalogram, EEG) of volunteers while they performed basic tasks with dominant and non-dominant hands. The scientists discovered that by switching up hand usage, even though the tasks were identical, brain waves were worlds apart. Different brain networks (connections between far-flung brain regions), with various levels of integration, were recruited depending on whether the left or right hand was engaged.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Brush your teeth and comb your hair with your non-dominant hand (your left hand if you’re a righty).
Smell your way to a better brain.
A memory (especially an autobiographical memory) sparked by an aroma is more vivid than a memory evoked by other cues, such as words, images, or sounds. Some literary neuroscientists call this the Proust Phenomenon, named after the famous (I tried to read him, I must admit it was a real snooze fest) French novelist.
Aromas so powerfully affect the brain because olfaction is the only sensation from the outside world (smell, touch, sight, sound, feeling) that is not routed through and muffled by the thalamus (main relay center of the brain). The olfactory nerve is connected directly to your frontal lobe (the executive function area in the thinking part of your brain). It is also intimately involved with your limbic system (the area responsible for emotions and memory formation).
Multiple scientific studies have demonstrated that aromatherapy with essential oils such as lemon and lavender have beneficial effects on your brain (such as decreased anxiety and depression, better sleep, and decreased pain).
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Fire up a scented candle or, better yet, take a stroll in the garden.
Mozart effect
Listening to music has been reported to confer multiple brain benefits. Regular audiophiles may enjoy improved cognitive (thinking) function and avoid the decline that may be associated with dementia and the deteriorating function of the aging brain. What’s more, hearing music may alter brain structure in a way that improves behavior, mood (emotion), and the ability to socialize.
Besides all that, listening to music has the potential to deliver therapeutic benefits that can be quite dramatic. Epilepsy, a brain disorder that causes seizures, may sometimes become resistant to medication. In 2020, one group of Canadian doctors tested an unorthodox adjuvant treatment and prescribed a daily dose of Mozart listening to their patients (“Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448”). Listening to Mozart worked wonders, and the scientists reported a significant reduction in seizure frequency. In another report published in 2021, Dartmouth scientists used machine listening algorithms to demonstrate that the same Mozart piece (you can watch/listen here) has a calming effect on the brain’s frontal lobes. And, even if you’re rapidly bored by classical music (perish the thought!), the beneficial effects don’t take long to accrue. The scientists discovered that it took less than two minutes of Mozart to affect the brain.
Although few composers deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as Mozart, his music is not to everyone’s taste. And that’s OK. It turns out that it’s the music that you like best that’s best for your brain. The genre of music (from classical to country) or the musical artist (Creedence Clearwater Revival to Kanye West) that’s best for your brain depends on the unique wiring of your brain. Your brain’s “fingerprint” determines your individual preference, just like your unique palate determines your favorite flavor of ice cream. Learning to play music may be even better for the brain than listening.
Want to boost your brain even more? Playing or practicing music, or singing, may change the structure and function of the hippocampus (part of the brain responsible for memory).
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Turn on the radio, close your eyes, and relax to your favorite tune.
Feeling uninspired? Your brain could use a splash of red.
Exposure to the color red increases functional connectivity throughout the default mode network (DMN). The DMN is a wide network of far-flung neuronal nodes in the neocortex, wired together by white matter (axonal) cables. The main nodes of the DMN are centered in the medial prefrontal cortex (a part of the brain that is involved with decision-making and memory consolidation), the posterior cingulate cortex (part of the brain that has important roles in sensory processing, decision-making, and motor control), the parietal lobes (part of the brain that integrates various types of sensory information), and the hippocampus (the part of the brain that forms memories).
The DMN is active in the background of your consciousness and is crucial for inner thoughts such as reminiscing and daydreaming. The DMN fires up the cortical areas associated with memory recall or mind-wandering. It becomes especially active when you think about others. When you plan for future events, the DMN constructs an image of the thing or event (a trip to the beach) and helps weigh the pros and cons of your intended course of action.
So if you’re searching for a “Eureka!” moment, a burst of artistry, or a breath of inspiration, you may need to get your DMN back on track.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Remember that Nena song from the ’80s? Let 99 red balloons fly. Just don’t start WWIII.
Feeling distracted? Your brain is begging for a splash of blue.
Scientists have determined that a splash of color blue (gazing at the Caribbean or at David Bowie’s right eye on an old album cover) fires up the salience network (SN) of the brain. The SN links the front part of the insular cortex (part of the brain responsible for sensory processing, self-awareness, and emotional guidance of social behavior) to the front part of the cingulate cortex (part of the brain that has important roles in sensory processing, decision-making, and motor control).
The SN has been related to the detection and integration of emotional and sensory stimuli (in plain English, the SN makes sure every little bit of information or stimuli that comes into your life doesn’t drive you bonkers). The SN (like the DAN) also provides for enhanced attention to the environment. Additionally, the SN may supercharge your memory. Buffing up your SN reduces anxiety and stress and delivers a high-octane productivity boost.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Get knee-deep in the water somewhere and stare out to where the sky meets the sea.
Feeling frazzled? Your brain craves a splash of green.
Stimulation by the color green activates a specific brain circuit called the dorsal attention network (DAN). The DAN connects a region of the frontal lobe (part of the brain responsible for executive functions (decision-making)), with the frontal eye field (part of the brain responsible for awareness and attention to visual stimuli), the intraparietal sulcus (a part of the brain involved with abstract thought (such as mathematics) and determining the intentions of other people), and the visual cortex (part of the brain responsible for sight).
The DAN is responsible for keeping your attention focused on relevant objects, situations, or goals. Functional connectivity within the DAN may be weakened or disrupted in a number of ways. For example, acute stress exposure and insomnia may wreak havoc on it.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Surround yourself with a sea of green. Be it in your backyard or Central Park, it’s all the same to your DAN.
Yoga practice makes for a more perfect brain.
Yoga practice may be linked to anatomical changes in the prefrontal cortex (part of the brain associated with executive functions such as focusing attention, concentration, self-control, and decision-making), hippocampus (part of the brain responsible for memory), amygdala (part of the limbic system, which guides emotions), anterior cingulate cortex (part of the brain that has important roles in sensory processing, decision-making, and motor control), and insular cortex (part of the brain responsible for sensory processing, self-awareness, and emotional guidance of social behavior). It’s no surprise that clinical studies have demonstrated that regular yoga practice may be psychologically beneficial, with improvement seen in anxiety, depression, and stress.
What’s more, yoga may also improve connectivity within an important circuit of the brain, the default mode network (DMN). The DMN is a wide network of far-flung neuronal nodes in the neocortex, wired together by white matter (axonal) cables. The DMN is involved in inner thoughts such as reminiscing, future planning, imagining, and thinking about others.
What you can do in 5 minutes or less: Do like Madonna sang in her ’90s hit, Vogue: strike a pose.
Marc Arginteanu is a neurosurgeon and author of Azazel’s Public House.
