How to Be a Quicker Thinker

Memory, and in particular short term memory, can diminish as people age. Memorizing new information becomes more difficult and thinking quickly through complex situations also becomes harder as people grow older, because brain cells die. There are things you can do to slow the decline in brain function and grow new brain cells -- like eating nutritious foods and engaging in regular mental exercises -- to speed up your brain and become, or remain, a quick thinker.

Things You'll Need

• Matching games, crossword puzzle or a word search
• Stopwatch or timer

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Instructions

• 1

  Exercise regularly each day which, according to researcher Fred Gage, Ph.D., at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies found improves brain capacity and growth. Walk briskly for 40 minutes four times a week to increase blood flow to the region of your brain that produces new brain cells and speeds up thinking.

• 2

  Pay attention to what you're doing. Stop for a moment and let your brain catalog where you placed your pen, keys or glasses so that you can remember quickly where they are when you need to find them later.

• 3

  Use a stopwatch or timer to do timed mental exercises daily such as matching games, finding items hidden in a picture, crossword puzzles and word searches where you try to beat the clock and continually improve your completion time to speed up your mental response time and make you a quicker thinker.

• 4

  Consume an appropriate amount of vitamin B for your age daily. Talk to your doctor about any depression or sluggishness you feel as these may be symptoms of a vitamin B deficiency that if corrected, may result in improved brain speed. Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish to promote a healthy, oxygen-rich brain.

• 5

  Get regular social interaction and conversation with others. Study a subject as part of a book group or social club and discuss it with others as a way to keep your brain sharp and active.