活得更健康:15招让你变得更聪明

　　收看阿拉伯世界半岛电视台的新闻

　　Don't shut yourself out from new ideas. A 2009 study found that viewers of Al Jazeera English were more open-minded than people who got their news from CNN International and BBC World.

　　不要将新思想拒之门外。一项2009年的调查发现，收看半岛电视台英语频道的观众比收看美国有线新闻网国际频道（CNN）和英国广播公司世界频道（BBC）的观众思想更开阔。

　　2. Learn a Language

　　学习一门语言

　　Mastering a second language gives a workout to your prefrontal cortex, which affects decision making and emotions. Enroll¹ in a class, embed² in deepest Sichuan province, or simply pick up Rosetta Stone software and teach yourself Latin.

　　掌握一门第二语言让你的前额皮质得到很好的锻炼，这会影响你的决策和情绪。选一门课程，深入到四川省，或者找一下罗赛达石 （译者注：解释古埃及象形文字的可靠线索）软件自学拉丁文。

　　3. Toss Your Smartphone

　　抛开智能手机

　　Constantly checking your email disrupts focus and saps productivity. And go offline from time to time by installing Internet-blocking software that lets you concentrate on the task at hand.

　　不停地查看电子邮件会使你的注意力紊乱并减弱你的创造力。时不时地下线，并安装一些脱机软件，这样能让你专注于手边任务。

　　4. Sleep A Lot

　　多睡觉

　　Take a nap, then get to bed early. Harvard research has shown your brain continues to process memories even after you've gone to sleep, so you can recall them better later.

　　小睡片刻，并且早点上床睡觉。哈佛大学研究表明，即便在入睡之后，大脑仍然在处理记忆，因此你稍后会有更好的记忆。

　　5. Hydrate

　　补水

　　Sure, every doctor and trainer tells you this, and we will too: dehydration³ forces the brain to work harder and may dampen its planning ability.

　　当然，每位医生和训练员都会告诉你这一点，我们还是要强调：脱水会促使大脑工作更费力，可能会抑制大脑的规划能力。

　　6. Eat Dark Chocolate

　　吃黑巧克力

　　It might not boost your IQ overnight, but dark chocolate is reported to have memory-improving flavonoids. And go ahead and pair it with a glass of red wine—another great flavonoid source.

　　黑巧克力或许不会在一夜之间就让你的智商陡升，但是据称它含有提升记忆力的类黄酮。吃吧，就着一杯红酒，这是另一种富含类黄酮的食物。

　　7. Join a Knitting Circle

　　加入编织小圈子

　　Whip out the needles and make an awesome⁴ scarf. Refining motor ability can bolster⁵ cognitive⁶ skills. Plus—it'll keep you warm this winter.

　　拿出针来织一条不错的围巾吧。改善机动能力可以支持认知技能。另外，它还会让你温暖过冬。

　　8. Eat Yogurt

　　喝酸奶

　　Probiotics are good for your stomach, but studies on mice suggest they are good for your brain, too: mice who ate them handled anxiety better and showed increased activity in sections of the brain handling emotions and memory.

　　益生菌对胃有益，但在老鼠身上的试验表明，益生菌也对大脑有益：喝了益生菌的老鼠在处理焦虑上表现更好，在大脑处理情绪和记忆方面表现了更高的活力。

　　9. Write By Hand

　　用手写字

　　Remember what that feels like? Brain scans show that handwriting engages more sections of the brain than typing. It's easier to remember something once you've written it down on paper.

　　还记得那是种什么感觉吗？脑部扫描显示，用手写字比打字会使脑部更多的部分参与活动。一旦你在纸上写下某事，你就更容易把它记住。

　　10. The Pomodoro Technique

　　番茄工作法

　　This time-management method has nothing to do with pasta, but aims to make you productive using nothing more than a kitchen timer. Use it to help work in 25-minute blocks, taking a short break after each; the frequent rests aid mental agility⁷.

　　这种时间管理方法与意大利面毫无关系，但是目的是让你只用一个厨房计时器就能富有生产力。用它来制定25分钟的时段，每个时段后休息一小会儿，经常的休息有助于思维敏捷。

　　11. Zone Out

　　开小差

　　Let your mind wander. A string of studies suggests that zoning out, especially when you don't consciously realize you're doing it, allows the brain to work on important "big picture" thinking.

　　让你的思绪开个小差。一系列研究表明，开小差可以让大脑致力于重要的“大局”思考上，尤其是当你没有意识到你正如此的时候。

　　12. Drink Coffee

　　喝咖啡

　　And don't just drink one cup: women who drank four cups of coffee a day were less likely to suffer depression than women who drank just one cup a week. Other studies have shown coffee to bolster short-term memory.

　　不要只喝一杯：每天喝四杯咖啡的女性比每天只喝一杯的女性患抑郁的可能性更小。其他研究表明，咖啡可以促进短期记忆。

　　13. Become an Expert

　　成为专家

　　Master one task you really enjoy and your brain will perform more efficiently⁸ when you do it. Chess whizzes, for example, recognize patterns more quickly than amateurs. Expertise⁹ is not innate—practice, as the old saw goes, does make perfect.

　　精通一项你真正喜欢的工作，在你做这项工作的时候，你的大脑就会运转得更高效。例如，象棋专家比业余爱好者更快地识别模式。专门的技术并不是与生俱来的，正如老话所说，熟能生巧。

　　14. Write Reviews Online

　　在网上写评论

　　Anyone can be a critic on the Internet—and you should too. When you like or hate something, review it on Amazon, Yelp¹⁰, whatever. Typing out your opinion will help you to better understand your own thinking.

　　任何人都可以在网络上成为评论家，你也应该可以。当你喜欢或者厌恶某件东西时，在亚马逊上对此评论，大叫，怎么都行。将你的意见用键盘打出来会帮你更好地了解你自己的想法。

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