關於生活:讓你的大腦永葆青春的7個祕訣(圖)
1. Move It
Quick -- what's the No. 1 thing you can do for your brain's health? Differential calculus, you say? Chess? Chaos theory? Nope, the best brain sharpener may be ... sneakers? Yup. Once they're on your feet, you can pump up your heart rate. "The best advice I can give to keep your brain healthy and young is aerobic exercise," says Donald Stuss, PhD, a neuropsychologist and director of the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto.
1、 堅持運動
保持大腦健康的頭號要事是啥？你認爲是各種數學計算、象棋呢？還是諸如混沌理論之類的東西？不，使大腦聰慧的最佳礪石或許要數走步。事實確實是這樣，一旦邁開腳步，心臟有節率的搏動也會隨之增強。公共衛生博士，神經心理學家，多倫多貝克雷思特老年醫學關懷中心羅德曼研究院院長唐納德·斯塔斯說：“要保持大腦年青、健康，有氧運動是我能提出的最好建議。”
2. Feed It
Another path to a better brain is through your stomach. We've all heard about antioxidants as cancer fighters. Eating foods that contain these molecules, which neutralize harmful free radicals, may be especially good for your brain too. Free radicals have nothing to do with Berkeley politics and everything to do with breaking down the neurons in our brains. Many colorful fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants, as are some beans, whole grains, nuts and spices.
2、合理飲食
胃口是使你的頭腦更聰明的另一途徑。我們都聽到過抗氧化劑是抗癌鬥士的說法。食用含有這類分子的食物，可中和體內有害的自由基，同時也對你的大腦特別有益。自由基成事不足，敗事有餘，它只會破壞我們的大腦神經元。許多顏色鮮豔的水果、蔬菜都富含抗氧化劑，此外某些豆類、全谷、堅果和香料也富含抗氧化劑。
3. Speed It Up
Sorry to say, our brains naturally start slowing down at the cruelly young age of 30 (yes, 30). It used to be thought that this couldn't be helped, but a barrage of new studies show that people of any age can train their brains to be faster and, in effect, younger. "Your brain is a learning machine," says Michael Merzenich, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco. Given the right tools, we can train our brains to act like they did when we were younger. All that's required is dedicated practice: exercises for the mind.
3、健腦益智
天不作美，大腦的運轉速度在我們相當年青（大約30歲）時便自然而然地開始放慢，這聽起來真令人於心不安。通常人們認爲對此確實是愛莫能助，但一系列的研究表明，任何年齡段的人都能通過訓練使其大腦變得反映更快，更有效，更年青。“你的大腦是一部學習機，”舊金山美國加州大學的老年醫學、神經學家邁克爾·梅策尼希說，“只要方法對頭，就可以把我們的大腦訓練得如同年青時那樣靈光，需要的只是潛心而持續的思維訓練和實踐。”
4. Stay Calm
So you may be saying to yourself, I have to sign up right now for Swahili and calculus and accordion lessons before my brain withers away! Stop! Breathe. Relax. Good.
4、從容不迫
你若從上所述，也許會奮然起意，決定在大腦萎謝之前就立即行動進來，開始外語學習、數學運算和手風琴課程之類的科目。打住！你最好還是保持從容不迫，氣定神閒爲佳。
5. Give It a Rest
Perhaps the most extreme example of the mental power of staying calm is the creative benefit of sleep. Next time you're working on a complex problem, whether it be a calculus proof or choosing the right car for your family, it really pays to "sleep on it."
5、 睡眠充足
也許最極端的例子要數睡眠，它能使精神活動保持在最安靜的狀態，使大腦受益最大，當你隨後面臨複雜問題，無論是做數學論證還是爲你的家庭選擇一款恰當的轎車之時，就會覺得爲此而睡了一個好覺真的值得。
6. Laugh a Little
Humor stimulates the parts of our brain that use the "feel good" chemical messenger dopamine. That puts laughter in the category of activities you want to do over and over again, such as eating chocolate or having sex. Laughter is pleasurable, perhaps even "addictive," to the brain.
6、常笑常樂
幽默能激發我們大腦裏某些部分攝取具有愉悅功能的化學信息物質多巴胺。在做那些喜愛做的事時，多巴胺使人笑由心生，而且樂於一次又一次地、重複地去做，例如，吃巧克力和做愛。笑是如此地令人愉悅，甚至可能使大腦上癮。
7. Get Better With Age
In our youth-obsessed culture, no one's suggesting a revision to the Constitution allowing 20-year-olds to run for President. The age requirement remains at 35. You've heard about the wisdom and judgment of older people? Scientists are starting to understand how wisdom works on a neurological level.
7、年長智增
即使在我們這個崇尚以青年爲重心的文化氛圍裏，也不會有人建議憲法允許20來歲的年青人競選總統，要年滿35歲的人才有競選資格。
你聆聽過長者充滿智慧的言談和具有遠見卓識的判斷嗎？目前，科學家正着手從神經學的層面瞭解智慧的活動機理。
