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Analogies Are Mind Expanders If you'd like to truly sharpen your ability to think associatively and to open up some exciting neural pathways in the bargain, doing exercises involving analogies may be just the think to add to your Braintenance regimen. These exercises even improve you pattern recognition, total cognition and creative thinking. If you'd like to think outside of the box (and keep your mind fresh in the process), analogies are wonderful tools. An analogy ( dog is to puppy as cat is to kitten , or, as it commonly appears on standardized tests, especially in higher grades: dog : puppy :: cat : kitten ) is a comparison between two things that are usually thought to be different from each other, but have some similarities. They help us understand things by making connections and seeing relationships between them based on knowledge we already possess. Analogies are a ubiquitous staple of standardized tests. This type of comparison plays a significant role not only in im...

Learning Backwards: Braintenance Mind-Jolt How often have you heard of someone knowing something "backwards and forward(s)"?  There is a reason for this in the etymology of the expression itself: it is generally perceived as being difficult for people who have learned and memorized something in a particular order to be able to learn and memorize it in a different order. Learning something "backwards" requires a (with apologies to Liam Neeson) special skill set. The skills involved are used both consciously and subconsciously every day by most people. In learning backwards, you'll have to use these skills consciously -- at least at first. These skills include visualization (visualizing the list of items with eyes closed), creating acronyms (using the first letter of each image to create a word) and sensory association (i.e., linking a group of things to a simple song, or making them part of a simple story). The benefits to backwards learning are tremendous. The p...

Any mental exercises which require that you arrange things (in the same positions as they were in before, i.e., memorizing and conforming to a map, floor plan or layout), order things (based upon a rule, i.e., smallest to largest) or categorize things (i.e., based upon rules, parameters or attributes) have the wonderful ability [whether you are a file clerk, a S.W.A.T. team member, or a Braintenance philosopher (i.e., unemployed, lazy or on an academic fellowship) can and will: 1 ) improve your memory; 2 ) improve your spacial perception and navigation ability; 3 ) improve your associative intelligence; 4 ) improve your neuroplasticity (the flexibility of brain cells to 'substitute in' for each other or to make adaptations to their functionality); and may ... 5) possibly contribute to new neuronal growth (i.e., brand new brain cells) and an newly-establish neural channels. Following is a wonderful game, courtesy of Brain Metrix, which provides an opportunity to do some ...

Subliminal Tapes To Re-Program Yourself As promised, and for a wonderful change of pace, I wanted to offer you these FREE subliminal personal re-programming tapes in order to strengthen your self-esteem, resolve, and emotional fortitude. In these three tapes (which you can listen to either with headphones or through your computer's (or other device's) speakers, subliminal suggestions are embedded against a backdrop of gentle sound and binaural beats to maximize entrainment and retention. These tapes were not made by me, and I do not make any guarantees as to their quality or effectiveness -- but I believe that, at very least, you'll find that they make you feel better, generally speaking. And we Braintenance Neuron Knitters are always in need of that! Simply click on each of the programs below, enjoy it, hit the "BACK" button in your browser, and return to this page. You'll likely achieve the best result by listening to each recording once in the early morn...