These Mindless Activities Can Actually Boost Your Brain Power!

Some of us may think that dealing with difficult things that require optimum cognitive function is what makes us sharper, more intelligent. But this can make anyone feel stressed and burned out, which greatly affects mental health.

Brainpower is always handy in everyday situations: from finishing tasks at work to finding solutions to simple problems. This would make things easier done in the shortest time possible, so it definitely is worth improving.

Research on Mindless Activities

It’s not always about the math problems and the head-scratching scientific laws and theories that can boost our brainpower. Sometimes, it’s about the mindless things we do – you know, the times when we don’t usually hurt ourselves by thinking too much.

Research published in the Psychological Science analyzed participants who in the first round were asked to perform an “Unusual Use Task,” wherein they would list, as many as they can, an item’s unusual function.

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Sometimes, we tend to belittle the mundane tasks but these actually help us improve our brainpower

Then, participants were divided into four groups: those who will accomplish a demanding task, second for an undemanding activity, another was allowed to rest, and the last wasn’t permitted to take a break. Of all the teams, those given an undemanding chore to finish had an improvement in their scores from the first round.

Logic Behind the Results

University of California psychology professor Jonathan Schooler explained that the improvement in the performance showed that mind-wandering is useful, too.

If a person is faced with an undemanding activity, it prevents a person from immersing in one train of thought, he added. As for those who rested and didn’t perform better, it was probably because their brains weren’t really taking a break but were ruminating.

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Gardening is not a waste of time

This only means that we shouldn’t feel bad whenever we’re accomplishing mundane tasks like taking a shower or washing the dishes because it is in these moments that we allow our brains to undergo creative incubation, the expert said. So the next time you’re gardening, never feel bad because it is definitely not a waste of time.

Other Activities for Brain Health

As busy as we may be, it pays to squeeze in sweat sessions from time to time. Exercising has multitudes of benefits on our body, but did you know that it also boosts your brainpower? Yup, it was also found to improve memory.

Plaque will build up in your arteries if you don’t regularly work out, while your vessels will soon ineffectively pump blood. Plaque will reduce the nutrients brought to the brain. Running was said to help keep your brain from degeneration, so what’s not to love about being active?

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Running is a great way to avoid brain degeneration

Drinking coffee is also beneficial. Most of us begin our mornings with a cup of joe, which ultimately jumpstarts our day. It is no secret that it keeps us alert, but it was also found to be effective in boosting intelligence.

However, we know that the effect won’t be for long-term so it will wear off, nonetheless, it could be helpful if you need an immediate optimizer.