All posts tagged: cognitive function

As A Neuroscientist, I Quit These 5 Morning Habits As Soon As I Learned What They Did To My Brain

As A Neuroscientist, I Quit These 5 Morning Habits As Soon As I Learned What They Did To My Brain

Your mornings offer a unique opportunity to maximize brain function for the rest of the day. What you do (or don’t do) during the first 60–90 minutes after waking will influence your mood and cognitive performance over the following hours. But the painful truth is: most people unknowingly sabotage their brains before 9 am and wonder why they’re unable to concentrate or feel stressed all the time. The following five morning habits are common, and I engaged in them myself in the past. Let’s examine them from a neuroscience perspective and explore better alternatives for each. I quit these 5 morning habits as soon as I learned what they did to my brain: 1. Checking your phone first thing in the morning This habit is extremely common. 84% of the US population checks their phones within the first 10 minutes of waking up: Why it’s problematic: Within the first 30–45 minutes after waking, the Cortisol Awakening Response occurs. It’s a strong increase in your cortisol levels in the morning. A healthy Cortisol Awakening Response prepares you for the …

People Who Are Mentally Sharp Tend To Get Annoyed By These 11 Social Situations

People Who Are Mentally Sharp Tend To Get Annoyed By These 11 Social Situations

Even though we often overlap personality traits with intelligence in general conversation, a study from Psychology and Aging suggests that there’s truly only one trait that’s associated with people who have sharper minds. If you’re open-minded, chances are you have better verbal fluency, memory, and critical thinking skills — your curious personality is fueling practices and attitudes that simultaneously flex your mental cognition muscles. Of course, habits like reading different genres and asking thoughtful questions are common for intelligent people, but sometimes the things they avoid are more telling of their minds. For example, people who are mentally sharp tend to get annoyed by certain social situations. They find entitled people’s behaviors and superficial small talk not only annoying, but also draining — void of the curiosity and open-mindedness that fuels their own routines. People who are mentally sharp tend to get annoyed by these 11 social situations 1. Surface-level small talk Chay_Tee | Shutterstock Intelligent, sharp people are often less fulfilled by frequent, casual social interactions because they crave depth, according to a study from the …