Brain Hacks: 6 Secrets to Learn Faster & Unlock The Full Power Of Your Mind

When it comes to taking care of your brain, the best time to start is now. Many people don’t consider dementia or cognitive decline until later in life, but neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s begin developing decades before symptoms appear. Fortunately, you can take steps to prevent cognitive decline and keep your brain strong and resilient throughout your life. In Keep Sharp, neurosurgeon and medical reporter Sanjay Gupta explains how we can best look after our brains in five key areas: exercise, sleep, nutrition, discovery, and social connection.

In our guide, we’ll examine how the human brain works, the potential causes of cognitive decline, and things you can do to promote a healthy brain. We’ll also explain why certain things are helpful or harmful to your brain, like why the Mediterranean diet is so beneficial and what a lack of sleep does to your brain. Throughout the guide, we’ll delve into the ever-evolving science of human cognition so you can better understand how to develop a healthier, happier brain.

According to psychiatrist and brain health expert Daniel G. Amen, many people’s physical, mental, and cognitive issues arise from physical damage to specific regions of the brain and their associated functions. To effectively treat and overcome these issues, you must help your brain recover from physical damage and enhance its overall health.

In Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Amen asserts that even if your brain's health has been compromised, it has the potential for recovery and rejuvenation. Leveraging over 30 years of patient treatment experience, alongside insights gained from cutting-edge brain scans, he provides practical strategies for optimizing your brain's health and overcoming unwanted symptoms.

This guide explores how brain scans revealed the flaws of traditional treatment and informed Amen’s approach and offers practical advice for anyone to enhance their brain health. Additionally, our commentary will expand on Amen’s ideas with research and advice from other health experts.

Our brains are uniquely complex information processors, yet most people know little about how they work. In Brain Rules, John Medina writes that when we understand how our brains have evolved, we can use their natural impulses and tendencies to our advantage, improving our thinking and learning in all aspects of our lives.

John Medina is a molecular biologist who focuses on psychiatric disorders. Medina wrote this book in order to help the general public understand in a simple, accessible way how brains work and how the functions of the brain affect how we interact with the world. In this guide, we discuss the 12 rules he’s identified that summarize the brain’s core functions, abilities, and limitations. We also offer ways to apply Medina’s principles in your daily life and discuss scientific and cultural ideas related to his brain rules.

When it comes to taking care of your brain, the best time to start is now. Many people don’t consider dementia or cognitive decline until later in life, but neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s begin developing decades before symptoms appear. Fortunately, you can take steps to prevent cognitive decline and keep your brain strong and resilient throughout your life. In Keep Sharp, neurosurgeon and medical reporter Sanjay Gupta explains how we can best look after our brains in five key areas: exercise, sleep, nutrition, discovery, and social connection.

In our guide, we’ll examine how the human brain works, the potential causes of cognitive decline, and things you can do to promote a healthy brain. We’ll also explain why certain things are helpful or harmful to your brain, like why the Mediterranean diet is so beneficial and what a lack of sleep does to your brain. Throughout the guide, we’ll delve into the ever-evolving science of human cognition so you can better understand how to develop a healthier, happier brain.

Do you exercise enough? You know it’s good for your overall health—but do you know it’s also vital for your brain? John Ratey is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard, and he’s been convinced by the scientific and clinical evidence—our brains are built to move. He’s seen firsthand how patients struggling with addiction, anxiety, and depression are transformed by exercise.

In Spark, he discusses the evolutionary origins of the mind-body connection and how exercise optimizes brain function and supports mental health. In this guide, we’ll examine these theories as well as Ratey’s recommendations for how to incorporate exercise into your life, exploring which exercise is most beneficial and how you can stick to a routine.

Along the way, we’ll discuss how the theories of other experts align with or differ from Ratey’s ideas, and we’ll update the science where new insights have emerged in the years since the book’s release.

When neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor suffered a stroke on the left side of her brain, she was uniquely qualified to observe and report on the experience of losing her cognitive functions. However, she was surprised to learn that as her stroke silenced her mind, she developed feelings of deep inner peace and connection that had lain dormant in the right half of her brain. Taylor’s newfound capacity for empathy and stillness redefined her awareness of herself and the world, and led her to believe that we can all find that peace if we become aware of how our brains function and consciously tap its hidden resources.

In this guide, we’ll cover Taylor’s account of her stroke, her recovery, and her insights on mental and emotional self-care. We’ll discuss Taylor’s recommendations on how best to support stroke survivors, and we’ll compare her experience to the findings of experts on neuroscience, psychology, and mental well-being.

Happiness is more than just a positive state of mind—it’s a state of being that enhances your health, strengthens your relationships, and fuels both your creativity and productivity. However, though many people are aware of these benefits and try to feel happier, their efforts often fail to create consistent, long-term happiness.

In The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky—psychology professor and recipient of the Templeton Positive Psychology Prize—addresses this challenge. Drawing from her extensive research as well as insights from leading scientists in the positive psychology field, she unpacks the factors that fuel happiness and provides practical strategies to nurture and sustain it.

In this guide, we’ll explore Lyubomirsky's thoughts on what contributes to long-term happiness and how you can amplify it in your life. Additionally, we’ll supplement her ideas with psychological research and actionable methods from other self-improvement authors and practitioners.

Everyone wants to find true happiness in their lives, but many of us believe that happiness can only come from experiencing huge changes—such as a trip around the world or a lottery jackpot. But, as it turns out, you can change everything...without changing much at all.

In The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin explains how resolving to make the smallest of changes in your everyday life—using the “good” dishes, remembering friends’ birthdays, or singing in the morning—can translate into more vivid memories, stronger relationships, and a deeper sense of happiness and gratitude in your life.

What’s the key to living well and enjoying life to the fullest—to truly flourishing? Many of us think happiness is the answer. But in Flourish, psychologist and best-selling author Martin E. P. Seligman challenges this idea and argues that other aspects of life matter just as much as, if not more, than happiness. He proposes that instead of prioritizing happiness, we—as individuals and as a society—should cultivate well-being, which is a blend of five elements: positive emotion, engagement, meaning, relationships, and achievement. We can fortify these pillars of well-being by applying the principles of positive psychology in our lives and society so that the whole world can learn to flourish.

In this guide, we’ll define the five pillars of well-being, the benefits of having high well-being, and ways we can use positive psychology to increase personal and global well-being. Along the way, we’ll compare Seligman’s insights on happiness and well-being with those of other psychologists and expand on his findings with actionable advice.