Physical and mental training

Physical and mental training changes your brain and improves cognitive control.

There are two ways to improve your cognitive control. You can either alter your brain, or you can change your behavior. In this blink, we’ll explore the former.

Don’t worry: modifying your brain does not involve using surgical tools! The brain is plastic, which means it's able to constantly change its own structure, physiology and chemistry. Consequently, many scientists think the brain’s cognitive control can be enhanced.

There are several ways to change your brain. The most effective method for both children and adults is also the simplest: physical exercise.

It’s well known that exercise will improve physical and mental health, but it’s also been shown to induce neural changes that boost cognitive control.

A 2009 study published in Pediatrics showed that physically-fit children exhibit better cognitive control than those who are less fit. The children were connected to a virtual reality environment and placed on a treadmill. They were instructed to cross a virtual street within the environment either while chatting on the phone or listening to music. The results showed that the fitter children were less distracted.

Another way to modify the brain is through cognitive exercises, otherwise known as brain training.

There are many types. Just like toning your body at the gym, if there’s going to be a noticeable effect, you’ll have to repeat the exercises regularly and adapt as you improve. As you get better, the exercises have to get harder.

In 1998, an experiment called the ACTIVE trial was conducted. The idea was to examine if attention – one of the brain’s major cognitive-control abilities – would improve in older adults when compared to a control group if they underwent cognitive training. The results were astounding. Even ten years later in follow-up tests, the participants reported that they had fewer difficulties in their daily lives compared to the control group. Incredibly, they even caused 50 percent fewer traffic collisions.