Anyone with a brain, providing you are in otherwise good health, has the potential to upgrade it to a super brain!
People who can memorize insanely long strings of numbers aren’t necessarily gifted or superior in brain function. Attaining a super memory that is able to perform such functions is not beyond your reach or reserved for the few, it is a question of mental training and learning a few tricks.
So why is it some people are capable of what we perceive as superhuman functions?
What can you do to help rewire your own brain and perform at a higher level?
Read on to find out.
Image: UnSplash
A superhuman brain is structurally the same as our own!
We could be doing ourselves a huge favor by training our brain to improve memory and recall. Especially in this day and age where the need to ‘remember’ certain things is almost being rendered obsolete by the rise of technology.
Recent studies published by the journal of Neuron show that the brain structures of those with superhuman memories are no different from the rest of us.
Visualising pictures saves space and unlocks memory potential
Scientists found something interesting. The brains of those individuals with awesome memorizing powers lit up in a certain pattern in the regions associated with visual and spatial learning.
This is significant in that the secret to unlocking this kind of memory capacity is by transforming the items that you want to remember. You can do this whether they be numbers, abstract shapes, cards or faces. The trick is to change them into pictures that you can visualize in your mind.
This is similar to the principle of mnemonic devices that allow people to remember more information. They do this by condensing the information down to something our memories can access and easily unravel at any time.
Many mnemonic devices come in the form of rhymes, the following is an example of one you may have heard of that can be used to remember the order of the planets ‘my very educated mother just served us noodles’.
The role of neuroplasticity
Our brains are extremely malleable, the scientific term used to refer to this feature of the brain is ‘plasticity’. This essentially means that the brain is capable of continuously changing and adapting over time to new ways of processing things or approaching learning and memorization.
This has the potential in the long run to revise the way that you see and engage with the world. It is the neuroplasticity of the brain that will help your brain ascend from normal to super status!
Tips for upgrading your brain
There is a range of foods that you can eat to improve brain function and boost neuroplasticity. The following nutrients, in particular, have been shown to influence plasticity; Curcumin, L-theanine, Magnesium, DHA and Vitamin D.
You can get these from your diet or alternatively you can take supplements that contain these nutrients. This will guarantee that you are getting the right amount in your diet to have the desired effect.
There is a range of supplements available that are specifically targeted towards improving brain function.
Change your habits
There are a number of things that you can do to help rewire your brain so that it operates at a higher level.
If you want your brain to change, you will need to try new activities and find new ways of approaching things. The first step to brain improvement is to start doing certain things differently.
Some ideas include: learning an instrument, learn to draw or paint, writing with pen and paper rather than typing, travel to new places, branch out into some new reading material.
If you read a lot of non-fiction try reading some fiction.
There are also a number of brain training apps that you can download which are designed to both assess and enhance your memory.
