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Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

blogs.scientificamerican.com

81–90 of 152 posts

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#81
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Make use of the 5-9?

Admit it. You don't have kids - right?

That was not included as a constraint.

That said, I do have a kid, and while he definitely represents a huge draw on my time and attention, I still manage to make and maintain technical connections outside of work.

Depending on circumstances, "we have kids of a similar age and both work in tech" is an easy instant connection.

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#82
post #69

Here is my Cliff's Notes version of the article's list: 5 Ways to Increase Your Cognitive Potential: 1) Seek Novelty. Openness to new activities correlates with IQ, because those individuals are constantly seeking new information, new activities to engage in, new things to learn, and new experiences. 2) Challenge Yourself. Brain games like Sudoku don't work to increase cognitive potential if you keep playing them. Yo…

Sounds too hard. Isn't there just a pill?

There's a whole bunch of pills and they're called Nootropics. Transhumanism anyone?

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#83

Here is my Cliff's Notes version of the article's list: 5 Ways to Increase Your Cognitive Potential: 1) Seek Novelty. Openness to new activities correlates with IQ, because those individuals are constantly seeking new information, new activities to engage in, new things to learn, and new experiences. 2) Challenge Yourself. Brain games like Sudoku don't work to increase cognitive potential if you keep playing them. Yo…

Joining a Board Game Group or getting together with your own friends (and not just playing the same few games over and over) checks off many of these boxes and is a lot of fun!

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#84
post #16

The 5 ways listed are: 1. Seek Novelty 2. Challenge Yourself 3. Think Creatively 4. Do Things The Hard Way 5. Network

how is one supposed to network when you work in a 9-5 job in a company no one gives a shit about.

What do you want to do? Tech related? Find a meet-up or hacker space or make one. Something more physical like a sport or physical activity? Join a rec league, find a cycling group, join a gym, find groups that go hiking/climbing. Community involvement? Attend city council meetings, find out who's active and talk to them and find out what they do and where.

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#85

Here is my Cliff's Notes version of the article's list: 5 Ways to Increase Your Cognitive Potential: 1) Seek Novelty. Openness to new activities correlates with IQ, because those individuals are constantly seeking new information, new activities to engage in, new things to learn, and new experiences. 2) Challenge Yourself. Brain games like Sudoku don't work to increase cognitive potential if you keep playing them. Yo…

I already do all these things and can report that none of them are compatible with most corporate jobs. Creative critical thinking and novelty seeking especially disturb management.

Depends on where you work. I work for a 24,000-person enterprise, and I definitely have the freedom to do this. However, this is in large part due to my direct management—they encourage and enable me to do this, despite disfunction in some other parts of the org.

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#86
post #73

> Novel Activity—>triggers dopamine—>creates a higher motivational state—>which fuels engagement Is there anyone else that doesn't get this reaction? I usually just feel tired and then ennui sets in.

Perhaps the activity just doesn't interest you or doesn't suit you?

I've been repeatedly frustrated by efforts to learn new languages, and usually let my attempts fade off. Without a clear motivation for learning the language other than to learn it it's hard to maintain the effort. (This has changed recently with my attempt to relearn Spanish, I was almost fluent 18 years ago and now have a good reason to regain and maintain it.)

So what sort of novel activities have left you feeling tired?

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Legal amphetamine.

My apologies, didn't realize there was a difference between two drugs that both flood your receptors with dopamine in almost the exact same brain regions.

They act similarly, but it's weird to call it legal cocaine. Cocaine also strongly targets serotonin and norepinephrine and is a lot more addictive.

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#88

My problem is that whenever I encounter something that requires serious brain power, I start feeling sleepy. Anyone else feel this way?

Are you sleeping well? When I don't, things that require brainpower tend to make me feel sleepy. Maybe you have some form of apnea and you don't realize it. Could also be something like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

This may be it. I don't think I'm sleeping that well.

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#89
post #73

> Novel Activity—>triggers dopamine—>creates a higher motivational state—>which fuels engagement Is there anyone else that doesn't get this reaction? I usually just feel tired and then ennui sets in.

I used to be the same way - it eventually turned out I had ADHD-PI. Now that I take d-methamphetamine that's no longer a problem, fortunately.

Re: Ways to maximize your cognitive potential

#90
> While Einstein was not a neuroscientist, he sure knew what he was talking about in regards to the human capacity to achieve.

This line gets to me because it paints a neuroscientist in an unqualified light. This kind of implicit trust breeds pseudoscience through inflated egos.

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