Dreams

Brainpower Newsletter

This week you can learn how to have fun with your dreams, how to grow more dendrites, and how to create new ideas. Enjoy!

What do dreams mean? The question hasn't been clearly answered by science yet. It's possible they are a way to exercise the brain. Some theorize that dreaming is a way to categorize and "file away" things that weren't sufficiently dealt with during the day. This theory could explain why daily events so often become a part of that nights dreams.

Dreaming does seem to be necessary. In experiments, people have been prevented from dreaming by being woken up whenever they started, as evidenced by their REM or "rapid eye movement," which accompanies dreaming. This seems to cause mental distress, although this distress was often nothing more than increased attempts to dream. Still, those woken an equal number of times, but randomly, didn't seem to suffer as much.

We may need to dream, but we don't know why, and we could argue endlessly about the meaning of the content of our dreams. However, despite this essential ignorance about what dreams mean, we do know that there are ways we can use our dreams. A couple examples follow...

Continued here:
http://www.increasebrainpower.com/what-dreams-mean.html

- The numbers 1-100, added consecutively (1+2+3 etc) total 5050.

- Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.

- "Jesus wept" is the shortest verse in the Bible.

Activities involving timing and coordination cause dendrite growth in the brain. More dendrites mean more possible connections in the brain, allowing your thinking and learning to be more flexible and efficient. The following are some examples of activities that can cause dendrite growth and improve your learning skills:

1. Any athletic activities requiring coordination and timing, such as basketball, soccer, or just tossing around a frisbee.

2. Playing musical instruments. This is probably especially helpful if it requires precise timing, as in piano playing. It is worth noting that in my experience, many piano players are also good chess players.

3. Painting and drawing, which involve hand-eye coordination.

4. Travel. If you don't think travel involves timing and coordination, you haven't used the city busses in South America, which sometimes don't even come to a complete stop. In any case, there's also some evidence that experiencing other cultures is good for the brain.

The Speed Reading Secret

I have three letters, and I read the same forward and backwards. I rhyme with a word that is important to everyone. What word am I?

(The answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.)

Eat less sugar. Sugar consumption creates many long-term health problems, but the immediate effect of too much sugar is a blood sugar imbalance that will leave your head in a fog. Test this if you must. Just do math problems fifteen minutes after eating a piece of cake on an empty stomach. You'll get the point. Cut down on your sugar intake if you want clearer thinking.

How about many useful and fascinating secrets? Go sign up for the e-course "Secret Information And How To Use It."

Details here... http://www.thesecretinformationsite.com

Assume the absurd and you'll find some not-so-absurd ideas.
The technique of "assuming the absurd" is really just a twist on the basic assumption-challenging technique. It's advantage is that it tends to get you thinking more imaginatively. At least it will if you play along. The easiest way to start with this technique is with "what if" questions.

Some Examples Of Absurd Assumptions

Tired of carrying that heavy backpack in the wilderness? Ask the absurd question, "What if the backpack carried itself?" A helium balloon comes to mind, or wheels that can handle rough trails. Actually, that last one just hit the market. The "Wheelpacker" attaches to your back and lets you pull the pack down the trail behind you, using a modified bicycle wheel.

"What if we sold our cereal below cost?"

That's absurd! Then again, if the revenue was made up by selling advertising space on the box, it might be even more profitable. "Raisin-Ads: Now with more advertising!" (Feel free to steal these ideas...

Continued here:
http://www.999ideas.com/assume-absurd.html

Until next time,

Riddle Answer: Eye (rhymes with "I".)

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