Enhancing cognitive capabilities after twenties

[Anonymous No.12054369]

So, I've had a very depressing couple of years and finally managed to pull my shit together.

1 month ago I probably hit the rock bottom with attention span and so on.. so I started to pick up reading and programming again (can program, went to CS college) and promised myself to stick to it.

I've been 1 month sober from basically procrastinating (video games, shallow entertainment, fapping, staying up late,..) and bad habits (eating unhealthy, not exercising daily, not reading and learning/memory recalling daily,..).

What I've noticed is overall mood change into positive and my attention span is literary gaining bigger traction day by day, while my memory also improved a lot. My will and mental endurance went through the roof and I can actually push myself through great obstacles and sense how much further I can go.

My question is, since I'm over 25..does it really matter how old are you if you wanna get better at problem solving? It's practice in combination with healthy lifestyle at the end of the day and pushing yourself with somewhat of a structured program. Be it losing weight/putting on muscle or improving your problem solving/reading comprehension, etc.. you practice, exercise, test yourself and improve as long as you have the will to do it.

Anyone with similar story? I hear about neuroplasticity all the time, etc.. it seems like bunch of retarded shit, you practice, you get better at something.

[Anonymous No.12054450]

>>12054369
No it does not matter OP you have to start an be consistent in doing even a little every day this way you you can build up your abilities. I am Turning 26 and last year I started doing math 1 hour a day then since it was easy I did more about 5-6 hours a day. I re-took some highschool courses and got into the 18th best engineering program in the world. I am not smart but I am consistent and I plan my work ahead. I started with Khan Academy and complete all the videos/tests up to pre-calc. Then now I doing to Professor Leonard finishing up Calc2 just so I can be ahead of my class during the first year. The only thing I would suggest is to do ample amounts of practice and you will get good at what you do. Just to give you an idea my average from 8 years ago was like 17% since I never even showed up to class and now at 25 I managed to get 98.2% average the engineering prerequisites courses. How did I do it. Simple 1 I did a fuckton of practice and I already knew everything ahead of the class and had solved the entire tectbook. If I just took the classes I highly doubt I would have achieved these marks.
Lastly My pro-tip is this 1 Take good notes regardless of what class you take
2. Re-writhe your notes in your Own words to internalize information
3.Check out a couple of video to get a different perspective on a topic
4. Do problems as many as you can and when you find some hard problems have a second notebook to writhe them down.
5. Eventually you will have a review notebook and hard problem notebook. At the end of every week re-solve 1-2 problems from that hard problem notebook to overcome the "forgetting curve(theory that you forget 70% of the information you digest initially)"
It may seem like a lot and it may not work for you but it worked for me. Also start listening to studbooks and how to study better and self improvement(time management etc).
This is what worked for me but there is no guarantee it will ameliorate your life OP.

[Anonymous No.12054451]

>>12054369
Shrooms and LSD increase neuroplasticity, just don't get your brain and go overboard. Also stay away from meth or you'll end up like that Pepe.
If you really get serious about studying and have a healthy lifestyle you will be smarter than most CS students, a majority of them are fucking morons who are just code monkeys. Have a plan and dedicate a few hours every day to it and you will succeed

[Anonymous No.12054455]

>>12054451
>Just don't get your brain and go overboard
Just don't fry your brain**

[Anonymous No.12054464]

>>12054369
You need growth factors like BDNF or IGF-1 in addition to practice if you want to have the same learning capabilities as those younger than 25 yo. You can induce those factors with peptides or oral supplements.

[Anonymous No.12054478]

>>12054450
Not OP but hoping I could get some advice, I'm a mature age student as well, just started doing my pre reqs to get entry into engineering, so far have been doing well in maths units as well as chemistry, 80%+ in both of them, but have been doing really poor in physics, how'd you get a grasp on physics as a mature age who hasn't studied in a really long time?

[Anonymous No.12054498]

>>12054478
https://earlhaig.ca/departments/science/physicsweb/
Used this website to get an ideo of how to solve problems and also this guy
http://www.ilectureonline.com/
This guy is amazing. I would watch every single video on the topic and then copy the problem solving approach. Afterwards I would solve as much problems as I can

[Anonymous No.12054511]

>>12054478
Also find someone that has taken the class and ask for his previous tests. That helped me in chem.The tests will not be the same but they are a good litmus tests on how well you know your stuff. Also try and make your own tests by predicting what questions the teacher will give you.

[Anonymous No.12054517]

>>12054478
Lastly I got good at physics only because I managed to get really good at math the two subjects very interrelated.

[Anonymous No.12054528]

this seems like it's going to be good thread lads, keep it coming

[Anonymous No.12054558]

>>12054517
This what frustrates me because I've been doing fine in maths, but struggling in physics, even though the two are somewhat related, which leads to me think somehow I'm, not understanding the concepts or principles behind the equations. I think part of the problem is even though it's an introductory physics unit, the lecturer seems to be assuming that everyone already has some level of understanding, and just rushes through the lecture and when it comes to problems just skips through steps, then gives a brief overview of the answer, so I'm going to bury myself in other resources like >>12054498 till I fully understand the concepts behind the equations

[Anonymous No.12054565]

>>12054369
The best way to beat young students is trough sheer volume and focus. If you study twice as much or even 3 times as much and learn how to eliminate distractions you will definitely have an edge over most young freshman. Except for the few that are as motivated as you. Also you have to be willing to pay the price OP. The price of making a decision to sacrifice TV Social media and other distractions. Pretty much if you are willing to go to any length to be the best you will get there no matter how old you are. Don't let age be an excuse.

[Anonymous No.12054579]

>>12054558
You have to there is no other option. I would spend like 4 hours watching videos on how to solve problems and always attempt to solve them while watching the video before you see the solution and then do it again and again. Once you have watch lets say 15 videos on projectile motion and have been able to solve them. Then once you open your homework you will be able to blast trough the problems. If you are just hoping that the teacher will be able to show how to solve the problem then that is your number one mistake. The teacher don't give a fuck about your education.Its all on you and be ready to work hard because this knowledge will be the foundation upon which you will build more knowledge in the future.

[Anonymous No.12054587]

You want to get better at problem solving?

Here is the trick: Solve problems

Dedicate time every day to solving problems in your respective field. And don't just google the answers when you get stuck. Dwell on them. Think about possible solutions to problems you are stuck on during your free time. Think about it when you're laying in bed at night. The google/chegg generation has made so many people worthless in their fields.

[Anonymous No.12054619]

>>12054579
Thanks brah for the inspo and tips, I got a week off so I'm going to bury myself in as much resources as I can for that week.

>>12054565
Is right as well, unless you've studied this before, or it naturally inclined towards whatever you're studying, the workload you have to take on, especially as a full time student consumes you're life, I've drifted away from friends and pretty much given up all my hobbies.

[Anonymous No.12054643]

I got divorced a few years and I spent literally 3+ years drinking daily and taking drugs weekly.

I've also improved a lot since. Reading, studying, exercising. But I am worried the permanent damage has basically knocked 10 IQ points out.

[Anonymous No.12054744]

guys I've decided to quit coffe/alcohol/porn/fapping/bad food and started learning again extensively. It's my fourth day and the worst abstinence crisis/cold turkey experience ever. I can't focus on anything and take breaks every 15 minutes, my mind wanders all the time from the topic I want to learn. I got bags under eyes like all the energy has been sucked out from me and I just want to fall asleep every 15 minutes after I start focusing on learning and reading.

fuck me, I just slept for 30min again after I was done listening to lecture for 2 hours, I'm going nuts, how long is this going to last, I do feel a bit better after sleeping now though, it's like my brains are trying to rewire years of damage in a week and can't grasp what's happening and resisting change

[Aziz !!TneqL5iBNr7 No.12054819]

>>12054744

you've been programmed for your entire life to behave as you did.

you don't think it's going to take more than 4 days to wipe your programming?

[Anonymous No.12054970]

>>12054369
Absolutely, I'm 27 and doing my MSc rn.

[Anonymous No.12055006]

>>12054744
Keep going I was doing a lot of drugs IV before like a lot of them. I ODed 10 times in one year and no one ever taught I could bounce back but I did. Make sure to sleep a lot. Your body needs to catch up on all the sleep it missed during your wild days

[Anonymous No.12055091]

>>12055006
>no one ever taught I could bounce back but I did
That's good to hear. I'm in a much less severe position (23, coming out of 3 years of severely sedentary depression), but my working memory feels like swiss cheese compared to what it used to be. Hearing about people returning to function after much more damaging circumstances gives me hope.

[Anonymous No.12055749]

I'm 33 should I just kms?

[Anonymous No.12055809]

>>12054450
>e-took some highschool courses and got into the 18th best engineering program in the world
Are you ETH?

[Anonymous No.12055896]

>>12055749
Yes, but not for the same reasons as OP, rather doing so increases my reproductive chances.

[Anonymous No.12056030]

>>12054744
every time you study one new thing it probably opens up several unexplored paths. and because you're taking it seriously they now represent potential, rather than things that can be ignored. this rapidly becomes overwhelming because the possibilities are so vast. your brain is trying to make sense of all this new terrain and finds it exhausting. do you have a roadmap yet? once you have spent enough time surveying the field you will be able to whittle your studies down into a concrete set of things you want to understand. and that is when you will find the tiredness start to dissipate. once you get to this stage, every time you're "doing something else" and you catch your mind wandering, that's now your cue to get back to studying. because that's what you want to do most of all, isn't it, anon?

[Anonymous No.12056041]

>>12054369
>I hear about neuroplasticity all the time, etc.. it seems like bunch of retarded shit, you practice, you get better at something.
Neuroplasticity in that everyone is born the same and everyone can become a genius is bullshit. Genetics matter, prenatal nutrition matters, environment during childhood matters. You're not going to overhaul the structure of your brain as an adult. With that said, neuroplasticity absolutely can help you recover to baseline if you've lost some mental ability for whatever reason, but obviously the cause for the cognitive loss as well as the duration are going to affect the odds of a full recovery.

[Anonymous No.12056321]

Intelligence is virtually entirely genetic. Don't bother with this fantasy.

[Anonymous No.12056800]

>>12054369
similar but not exactly, stopped procrastinating around a month ago (I gain a greater ability at focusing thanks to watching many different first episodes of anime), though now I feel like my focus is waning back to its distractable state and I feel in a worse mood than before from lack of craving. But I believe I have a much greater ability at persisting in certain challenges, to such extent that I was able to find out how to analyse circuits that combine both loads in parallel and in series, I was able to reach a nearer understanding of why the determinant is the way it is (without yet looking it up) and I was able to find a way to construct the real numbers from the rational numbers while taking a shower, develop a simple theory of what knots are without going to google, and I've been able to prove most of the theorems before spoiling myself of the book of "finite dimensional vector spaces", all of which I had tried before but I had failed (but this time I didn't fail)

[Anonymous No.12056828]

>>12056041
>>12056321

I know genetics and childhood upbringing matter the most, but you can still outwork a lot of people and become as close to a genius, if not one with enough dedication.

Maybe some people with good start have less problems with learning, but who are you going to bet on:
A) Someone who has overcome greater personal problems and bounced back and is now going with full steam and is striving for new greatness/life
B) A person who had it relatively easy, taught himself what he needed to know to get a job, but has no more motivation in life and is already kind of settled in his mind, due to financial stability

[Anonymous No.12057054]

I perceive that what you're looking for is flow states. Meditation and cardio in addition to the diet (variety of probiotics and variety of amino acids) along with restful sleep, will help you to have more peak performance days. Intermittent fasting boosts healing and reduces inflammation in the joints and brain. Any change to your routine will increase neuroplasticity but I suspect it is related more to our endocrine glands than our nerves. Cultivating a gentle discipline is the best path especially if you are transcending trauma to regain full brain access. We cannot play at peak everyday, and stressing about that which you have lacked will impede progress. Visualize your success as guaranteed and SLOW DOWN your study process. If you fuck up; you start again with Self-Compassion. As you program and perfect these mind states, create anchors (a sound or symbol perhaps) that will help you to invoke them faster. Everything else that facilitates your success is organizational. (Schedules, lists, journaling) I just turned 39 (emerging from an absolute travesty) and next semester is all math for me. I'm finally ready. I still have a few tweaks before I will confidentiality say I'm in flow but I am convinced it is possible and desirable despite the temptation to embrace disassociative states and toxic patterns because of loneliness. I want to see how close I can get to the 'lawnmower man' state. Excellence is more powerful than elitism. Elitists are done as soon as they think they're better than everyone else; they spend the rest of their days trying to keep others from going past them. Excellence is the flow state that emerges from disciplined self-compassion. Be an excellent example and your success is guaranteed.

[Anonymous No.12057065]

>>12056321
Its not genetic, most people grow up in retarded breeder families.

Its transferred almost "like genetically", but if you took a child from retards and let intellectuals raise it, it wouldn't grow up to be a retard.