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0 pointsgeoelectric10y ago0 comments

Out of curiosity, aside from the normal advice re: sleep, diet, exercise, etc., is there an everyday/attainable activity she doesn't hate for working memory and attention?

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basseq10y ago· 1 in thread

It comes down to five things (in general; not specific to WM & attention, but inclusive of):

1. Diet - Eat reasonably well.

2. Physical Exercise - Can be as simple as walking around the neighborhood; just stay active.

3. Stress Relief - Stress wears you down; get zen when you can.

4. Socialization - Just being around other people helps you stay sharp.

5. Brain Exercise - Different and varied challenges. Crosswords, puzzles, board games, etc. all help. Something that's complex and engages your long-term planning engine is great: she likes strategy games (like Starcraft or Age of Empires). Basically, find ways to put your brain to work. And like physical exercise, variance is key.

The problem with Lumosity and #5 is that any "improvement" you see isn't improvement in mental acuity, but efficiencies in repetition.

geoelectricOP10y ago

That's great feedback, thanks. You articulate my concern well in the last sentence. I actually do a ton of word puzzles, board games, and video games, but sometimes I wonder if I'm doing much more than building vocabulary and a little hand/eye, along with whatever specifics apply to that puzzle/game. I should probably try to develop more patience with strategy games, since the "planning" part is probably key there.

Thanks again!

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