Just like the body needs to be exercised, so does the brain. Back in the 1960s, Professor Marion Diamond’s classic book, ” Magid Trees of the Mind,” demonstrated that we can grow neurons in the brain at any age. Thinking independently does that. Diamond’s work was so significant that they let her do the autopsy on Einstein’s brain.
Think Think Think
Nathan Eldon Tanner lived in Canada and became an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a child, he went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. The teacher for all the grades began the year by saying, “You only need to learn three things this year.” Then he wrote on the blackboard, “THINK, THINK, THINK.” (By the way, our youngest son was given the name Nathan because of the great role model of Nathan Eldon Tanner).
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Chauncey C. Riddle, has written a classic book entitled THINK INDEPENDENTLY. The best class I had in college was his Philosophy of Religion class, which taught us how to think. I am blessed that he has written the foreword for three of my books. We have become best friends over the years, and his brilliant mind knows how to THINK, which has been such a blessing to me.
Mind Exercise Ideas
While excess stress and oils containing linoleic acid kill neurons in the brain, daily mental exercises will grow neurons.
1. You can pick mental exercises that cause you to think that best suit your liking and your living situation.
Scripture memorization and/or study is a great way that exercise the spirit and the mind—bringing peace to the soul.
2. I see God’s Word to be of infinite depth. I also see His Word not just being the scripture cannon, for as Alma shares, “For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.” (Alma 29:8) We can learn from all nations and cultures. One of the great blessings as an atomic-clock physicist has been my opportunity to travel the globe visiting other atomic clock facilities. I have taken the opportunity in doing so to study those cultures and their religions.
3. Then there is His Word coming to us by personal revelation; I seek that every day for we have His promise in Mathew. 7:7-8: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” And His promises are sure.
4. One may think of cross-word puzzles as a good mental exercise, and that is good, but limited in its reach. Reading and learning from the Lord and His Word and from others are my main sources.
5. My personal joke is to learn faster than I forget! I also do a few SUDOKU puzzles per day, and I don’t use a pencil but a pen, requiring me to keep track of all the numbers across the puzzle along with logic considerations as to where a number should be placed to fill in all the blanks.
6. I buy a “BIG SUDUKO BOOK 1,000 medium to hard” puzzles–available from Amazon. I also take the time for fun mental exercises to determine the factors for that particular puzzle’s number. For example, No. 360 = 2^3, 3^2, 5. If the number is a prime, then I look up its logarithm value, memorize it, and then write it in the book as a memory exercise. I have a mathematical table of the prime numbers to seven significant digits.
More Mind Exercise Ideas
7. God is the Master of all good disciplines—including math. Jesus asks us to be perfect like our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48), which includes math! Math can be and is fun. The Allan variance, for example, is the analysis of a set of numbers in a data set and determining the different colors of the variations in the data set that occur in nature and in devices we build. My other personal joke is, “The only thing that is constant is change!” Enjoy the ride; there are always waves and or bumps along the way. We can ask the Lord, “What can I learn from the challenge?”
8. In Professor Marion Diamond’s classic book, she shares that there are seven learning centers in the brain, and they are complementary, and I have added my perspectives as well. They are: 1) language, 2) math and logic, 3) spatial representation (3D), 4) (beautiful) music, 5) physical skills, 6) interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, and 7) knowledge and learning of the grand harmony of nature—bringing you closer to the Creator.
9. For example, riding my bike combines 5) and 7) and is also an excellent eye-exercising opportunity. I listen to the Book of Mormon in French, and that combines 1) and 5). If one does crossword puzzles or Sudoku while listening to beautiful music, then that helps augment memory as well.
10. There is a well-known Mozart effect that was developed in Boulder, Colorado, several years ago and shown to be effective. For example, if one is learning calculus while listening to Mozart, then the retention increases. Our oldest son, Sterling, wanted to memorize Isaiah 52, and he composed it to music. He did the first half back in 1993, and twenty years later, he shared that composition with us. His retention was perfect.
11. For those who can play the piano, Terri Pontius gave me a great suggestion. Sight-reading pulls the right and left sides of the brain and is a great brain building exercise. On sight singing music would have the same benefits. For those who can’t read music, if they hear a song they like and then sing it, neurons will grow in their brains, and they will be blessed as well.
12. Dr. Dharma Shing Khalsa recommends at least a couple of hours each day doing some form of mental exercise. This is especially valuable for older people. He says that, “Studies have shown that when people do engage in moderate pleasant forms of mental exercise, it increases not only their knowledge, but also the efficiency and power of their brains.” The best retention occurs when there is cross-fertilization among these seven areas of the brain. Wisdom also grows with age, being helped by doing mental exercises.
13. While we are growing neurons in the brain, let us avoid those things that kill them. Again, that is excess stress and processed foods using linoleic acid. I wrote a blog article discussing that in detail: Don’t Kill Your Neurons. I highly recommend you read it if you haven’t.
Sharing His Truth
The blessings of thinking on the Lord’s Word are love, joy, and peace to the soul. As we do so, Light and the Truths of God are our reward. Then, as we lovingly share His Truths with others, we are doubly blessed. And the magic is that as you do these exercises for your brain you can sense new neuron growth.
In the ideal ZION society, which is coming soon, we lovingly share our individual thoughts, words, and deeds, which are unique to each of us, to bring about a Oneness with the Lord. “And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” (Moses 7:18) “Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—THE PURE IN HEART; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn.” (D&C 97:21)
David W. Allan
Photo. Pixabay