15招教你變身聰明達人
1. Get News from Al Jazeera
收看阿拉伯世界半島電視臺的新聞
Don’t shut yourself out from new ideas. A 2009 study found that viewers of Al Jazeera English were more open-minded than people who got their news from CNN International and BBC World.
不要將新思想拒之門外。一項2009年的調查發現，收看半島電視臺英語頻道的觀衆比收看美國有線新聞網國際頻道（CNN）和英國廣播公司世界頻道（BBC）的觀衆思想更開闊。
2. Learn a Language
學習一門語言
Mastering a second language gives a workout to your prefrontal cortex, which affects decision making and emotions. Enroll in a class, embed in deepest Sichuan province, or simply pick up Rosetta Stone software and teach yourself Latin.
掌握一門第二語言讓你的前額皮質得到很好的鍛鍊，這會影響你的決策和情緒。選一門課程，深入到四川省，或者找一下羅賽達石 （譯者注：解釋古埃及象形文字的可靠線索）軟件自學拉丁文。
3. Toss Your Smartphone
拋開智能手機
Constantly checking your email disrupts focus and saps productivity. And go offline from time to time by installing Internet-blocking software that lets you concentrate on the task at hand.
不停地查看電子郵件會使你的注意力紊亂並減弱你的創造力。時不時地下線，並安裝一些脫機軟件，這樣能讓你專注於手邊任務。
4. Sleep A Lot
多睡覺
Take a nap, then get to bed early. Harvard research has shown your brain continues to process memories even after you’ve gone to sleep, so you can recall them better later.
小睡片刻，並且早點上牀睡覺。哈佛大學研究表明，即便在入睡之後，大腦仍然在處理記憶，因此你稍後會有更好的記憶。
5. Hydrate
補水
Sure, every doctor and trainer tells you this, and we will too: dehydration forces the brain to work harder and may dampen its planning ability.
當然，每位醫生和訓練員都會告訴你這一點，我們還是要強調：脫水會促使大腦工作更費力，可能會抑制大腦的規劃能力。
6. Eat Dark Chocolate
吃黑巧克力
It might not boost your IQ overnight, but dark chocolate is reported to have memory-improving flavonoids. And go ahead and pair it with a glass of red wine—another great flavonoid source.
黑巧克力或許不會在一夜之間就讓你的智商陡升，但是據稱它含有提升記憶力的類黃酮。吃吧，就着一杯紅酒，這是另一種富含類黃酮的食物。
7. Join a Knitting Circle
加入編織小圈子
Whip out the needles and make an awesome scarf. Refining motor ability can bolster cognitive skills. Plus—it’ll keep you warm this winter.
拿出針來織一條不錯的圍巾吧。改善機動能力可以支持認知技能。另外，它還會讓你溫暖過冬。8. Eat Yogurt
喝酸奶
Probiotics are good for your stomach, but studies on mice suggest they are good for your brain, too: mice who ate them handled anxiety better and showed increased activity in sections of the brain handling emotions and memory.
益生菌對胃有益，但在老鼠身上的試驗表明，益生菌也對大腦有益：喝了益生菌的老鼠在處理焦慮上表現更好，在大腦處理情緒和記憶方面表現了更高的活力。
9. Write By Hand
用手寫字
Remember what that feels like? Brain scans show that handwriting engages more sections of the brain than typing. It’s easier to remember something once you’ve written it down on paper.
還記得那是種什麼感覺嗎？腦部掃描顯示，用手寫字比打字會使腦部更多的部分參與活動。一旦你在紙上寫下某事，你就更容易把它記住。
10. The Pomodoro Technique
番茄工作法
This time-management method has nothing to do with pasta, but aims to make you productive using nothing more than a kitchen timer. Use it to help work in 25-minute blocks, taking a short break after each; the frequent rests aid mental agility.
這種時間管理方法與意大利麪毫無關係，但是目的是讓你只用一個廚房計時器就能富有生產力。用它來制定25分鐘的時段，每個時段後休息一小會兒，經常的休息有助於思維敏捷。
11. Zone Out
開小差
Let your mind wander. A string of studies suggests that zoning out, especially when you don’t consciously realize you’re doing it, allows the brain to work on important “big picture” thinking.
讓你的思緒開個小差。一系列研究表明，開小差可以讓大腦致力於重要的“大局”思考上，尤其是當你沒有意識到你正如此的時候。
12. Drink Coffee
喝咖啡
And don’t just drink one cup: women who drank four cups of coffee a day were less likely to suffer depression than women who drank just one cup a week. Other studies have shown coffee to bolster short-term memory.
不要只喝一杯：每天喝四杯咖啡的女性比每天只喝一杯的女性患抑鬱的可能性更小。其他研究表明，咖啡可以促進短期記憶。
13. Become an Expert
成爲專家
Master one task you really enjoy and your brain will perform more efficiently when you do it. Chess whizz, for example, recognize patterns more quickly than amateurs. Expertise is not innate—practice, as the old saw goes, does make perfect.
精通一項你真正喜歡的工作，在你做這項工作的時候，你的大腦就會運轉得更高效。例如，象棋專家比業餘愛好者更快地識別模式。專門的技術並不是與生俱來的，正如老話所說，熟能生巧。
14. Write Reviews Online
在網上寫評論
Anyone can be a critic on the Internet—and you should too. When you like or hate something, review it on Amazon, Yelp, whatever. Typing out your opinion will help you to better understand your own thinking.
任何人都可以在網絡上成爲評論家，你也應該可以。當你喜歡或者厭惡某件東西時，在亞馬遜上對此評論，大叫，怎麼都行。將你的意見用鍵盤打出來會幫你更好地瞭解你自己的想法。
