

Ask HN: List everything you know that is good/bad for our brains. - chanux

I have seen some good ideas on this topic here and there, buried in several HN comment threads. But I thought it'll be better off being a separate topic, aggregating everything good/bad for our precious brains.
======
jonbischke
I've read a ton in this area so let me offer some of my findings. If I get
time this weekend I'll put together a blog post and link to it from here so I
can include references, etc:

Generally thought to be good for the brain:

Fish oil (Omega 3 in general but fish oil is tough to beat)

Exercise (Read the book Spark for more details)

Meditation (While this needs to be studied more some of the studies on long-
time meditators look very promising)

Keeping the brain active, especially as we age (learning a language, doing
crosswords or other brain puzzles, etc.)

Quality sleep

Some supplements (While I think there may be more definitive studies
necessary, certain supplements like blueberry extract, vitamin D and melatonin
are showing promising benefits to the brain)

Generally thought to be bad for the brain:

Excessive consumption of alcohol (1-2 drinks/day may be OK but more than that
is typically

Excessive consumption of sugar (the book Sugar Blues goes into a lot more
detail)

Toxic fats (Trans Fatty Acids, etc.)

Head injuries (concussions, wear helmets, seatbelts, etc.)

Many drugs (while some drugs are neuroprotective, many are neurotoxic, proceed
with caution and reference Daniel Amen's work for more details)

Overexposure to certain chemicals (many people who work in factories with
constant exposure suffer problems)

Two of my favorite books in this are are Making a Good Brain Great by Daniel
Amen and The Ultra Mind Solution by Mark Hyman.

~~~
eainla
Great post, Jon!

Saving Your Brain is a fantastic book by Jeff Victoroff, M.D. He reviewed
14,000 medical research studies to write that book. He's also the Chairman of
the Scientific Advisory Board for Nolan Bushnell's new company, Anti-
AgingGames.com.

I would add to your list above: not smoking; being within 5-10 lbs of your
ideal weight; partnering with a doctor who is both proactive and focused on
prevention; getting an annual checkup with tests that can spot if you have
Vitamin D, E, B12, calcium, or iron deficiency; maintaining regular social
contact with your friends; buying cars with a good safety rating (in one study
the chance of getting Alzheimers was 4x higher in people who sustain head
injuries after the age of 39; doing activities that are new and mentally
engaging (helps keep the brain's plasticity). You said this but I wanted to
stress that the activity should be new because that's what helps the most.

------
limist
Be sure to take a look at "Brain Rules" by John Medina.

<http://brainrules.net/>

The short version:

EXERCISE | Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.

SURVIVAL | Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too.

WIRING | Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.

ATTENTION | Rule #4: We don't pay attention to boring things.

SHORT-TERM MEMORY | Rule #5: Repeat to remember.

LONG-TERM MEMORY | Rule #6: Remember to repeat.

SLEEP | Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.

STRESS | Rule #8: Stressed brains don't learn the same way.

SENSORY INTEGRATION | Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses.

VISION | Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses.

GENDER | Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.

EXPLORATION | Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers.

~~~
da5e
Good stuff! But just for fun: 1\. Sitting on your ass programming for long
periods of time develops brain power too. 2\. We've held on tightly to our
lizard brains too. 3\. Faulty wiring can be creative if it's faulty in the
right way. 4\. We do pay attention to annoying boring things. 5-6. Imagine to
remember 7\. Sometimes it takes an all-nighter to get your brain over the
hump. 8\. True, although not always a bad way. 9\. Or isolate to concentrate
and build myelin. 10\. Only if you're a visual learner. 11\. Viva la
difference 12\. We are also inveterate couch potatoes.

------
da5e
And in other (Hacker) News... Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I
do? <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1545774> Ask HN: Suggested Reading
List <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1547988> Ask HN: Anyone have OCD?
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1546203> Ask HN: Food hacks for eating
well? <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1545325> Ask HN: Your "Keeper"
articles. <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1540610> Ask HN: anyone ever
drop everything and leave software dev behind?
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1521190> Ask HN: Loosing Faith - the
startup killer <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1531518> Ask HN: What's
your most interesting life goal currently?
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1497164> Ask HN: Lack of self-discipline
driving me hopeless. Tips? <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1486708> Ask
HN: What are your best life hacks/best tools in life/time savers?
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1419556> Hacker News | Ask HN: List
everything you know that is good/bad for our brains.
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1583623>

~~~
kashif
there is really no value in putting searchyc.com results here

~~~
da5e
Sorry, those are just ones I had bookmarked as advice. Not a search.

------
pohl
Novelty is good for your brain. But then repitition (a.k.a. "practice") can be
too. Caveat: practice makes permanent -- not perfect. Malpractice makes
malperfect.

~~~
brettnak
On the practice subject - in college I studied in the double bass studio for a
few years. He always said that his goal was to teach us how to practice. He
told us that we'd probably forget everything that he actually said, but if he
taught us how to practice properly we'd be able to learn anything if only we
knew the proper way to practice. He'd also make us tell him exactly what we
were going to do after each lesson in order to be ready for the next lesson. A
lot of what he taught us, i've found, could be applied to other areas of life.

------
talbina
Loving friends and family and caring for people is good for your brain.

------
sayemm
Great video by Google Tech Talks here:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyPrL0cmJRs&feature=chann...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyPrL0cmJRs&feature=channel)

Mentat Wiki has a ton of interesting articles/tips:
<http://www.ludism.org/mentat>

And the Memoriad Competition Software is awesome and challenging; it's great
practice every day: <http://www.memoriad.com/memoriadsoftware.asp>

------
will_critchlow
You might be interested in this project a friend of mine is running called
Mind Apples: <http://mindapples.org/>

The idea is to look for the mental health equivalent of "an apple a day".

------
henry_flower
_Bad:_

\- reading news, fiction books (99.99% of them are crap);

\- programming in boring languages (Java);

\- chatting drunk in a bar;

\- watching any movies (youtube included), tv;

\- blogging about nonsense (life, politics, etc);

\- listening to a podcast while doing nothing (like sitting on a sofa);

\- participating in any social network (livejournal, facebook);

\- living in the countryside (I don't really know this, but it seems true by
my observations on other people).

 _Good:_

\- living in a country where common language isn't your mother tongue;

\- reading very _carefully chosen_ books (non-mother tongue are preferred);

\- regular sex;

\- friends which share your interests;

\- regular jogging (not on a treadmill);

\- walking when you are stuck;

\- programming in functional languages.

~~~
sage_joch
What's wrong with running on a treadmill? I've found the measurability to be
useful.

~~~
henry_flower
Maybe it's personal, but looking on the screen (while running) with a dumb
simulation of the nature makes me feel blue.

------
talbina
In Lebanon, they think Cheese slows your brain down, while Zataar speeds it
up.

This is Zataar: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za%27atar>

~~~
shawndumas
[http://www.deandeluca.com/herbs-and-spices/herbs-
spices/zaat...](http://www.deandeluca.com/herbs-and-spices/herbs-
spices/zaatar.aspx)

------
pavs
Ear massage.

Wet your hands with cold water and twist and turn your ear with two finger
(not too hard, the idea is to generate blood flow so they get warm. You are
not trying to hurt yourself). It jolts my attention for about 20-30 minutes.

When I was writing this, I thought to myself if there is any science behind
it. Turns out this seems like a fairly well-known thing to some people. I
found this out myself. Now I will go read what causes this to happen.

~~~
da5e
Interesting. I do a bastardized form of shiatsu. Pressing on my eyebrows etc
with thumb and forefinger in a pattern. That wakes me up.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiatsu>

------
chanux
I read this article a while back and found it interesting.

22 ways to overclock your brain -
[http://ririanproject.com/2006/11/03/22-ways-to-overclok-
your...](http://ririanproject.com/2006/11/03/22-ways-to-overclok-your-brain/)

------
adammichaelc
_Good for the brain_ 1) List of supplements that are good for the body (click
on the right to drill down to "mental health":
[http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-
supplem...](http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/)
2) Exercise 3) Meditation
[http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/05/11/095679761037...](http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/05/11/0956797610371339.abstract)
4) Adequate levels of Vitamin D
[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421072159.ht...](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421072159.htm)

------
keefe
good stuff :

omega 3s

good nutrition - vitamins, protein, fiber

regular exercise

deliberate practice

meditation

regular sleep

------
harscoat
exercise is good for your brain as already linked on HN
[http://singularityhub.com/2010/08/05/exercise-boosts-your-
br...](http://singularityhub.com/2010/08/05/exercise-boosts-your-
brain-%E2%80%93-here%E2%80%99s-how/)

------
helveticaman
Mercury is really bad for your brain. It inhibits myelin production, which is
the mechanism by which people learn and develop skills. Mercury is found in
all aquatic animals, which is why I stay away from all of them.

~~~
arethuza
But the fatty acids in fish are good for your brain:

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/oct/25/society.science>

~~~
stevejalim
Agreed - oily fish in moderation is the way I try to go

------
chanux
This one is less obvious and I read it on a random magazine.

Covering head to toe when you are sleeping is bad for your brain. The reason
is that it'll increase CO2 concentration in your breathing air.

------
dpatru
I can't back this up with research, but from my own experience, concentrated
thinking is good for the brain. Activities and environments that promote
concentration are good while those that disturb concentration are bad.

Good: writing, quiet, solitary runs and walks, thinking in the shower,
schedule with plenty of margin, moving around, standing, working in large
blocks of time.

Bad: noise, too much information (TV, radio, clutter), hurry, packed schedule,
too much food, too little water, sitting too long.

------
_delirium
I have a feeling that if you list everything that at least one study or
credible report found to be good or bad for our brains, it'd end up looking
sort of like the compendium of "things that cause and/or prevent cancer":
<http://kill-or-cure.heroku.com/>

------
larsalan
I read a trick that has worked for me but, it might just be placebo effect.

Can't find the word your searching for? Rapidly look with your eyes left and
right a few times and it may jolt your memory.

//I promise I'm not trying to make you look silly

~~~
chanux
Yeah eye movement apparently has some benefits.
[http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=boo...](http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=boost-
your-creativity-with-eye-move-09-11-10)

------
rgejman
Smoking is good for staving off Parkinson's Disease:

[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100310162823.ht...](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100310162823.htm)

------
augiehill
Anecdotal evidence makes me believe the absolute best thing for an engineers
brain is a full night of sleep every night... that means no alarm clocks.

------
antichaos
Porn is bad for your brain. <http://www.google.com/search?q=effects+of+porn>

~~~
_prototype_
Man, for a slight second, you really put the fear of god in me. Thank goodness
your link was bogus, I can't live without my pr0n!

------
todayiamme
one of the best sources I have found on the internet for stuff like this is
mind hacks; <http://mindhacksblog.wordpress.com/>

They have some pretty interesting stuff over there. It's too bad that I can't
afford to buy the book.

------
yan
Practice is good for your brain.

------
da5e
Learning a new language is good for your brain. Either kind of language.

------
physicist
Unrestrained thinking is good for the brain.

------
ddemchuk
Social News sites have permanently fucked most people's brains up

~~~
oscardelben
Unless you live with no tv and you check them 10 minutes daily to keep
yourself informed of what's happening in your industry (i.e. they're not an
addiction).

~~~
shasta
Yes, if you spend no more than 10 minutes with them daily, it stands to reason
that you're not addicted or have your addition well under control. Unless you
have a TV. ?

~~~
oscardelben
I don't have a TV.

