/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.5358991]

So i'm weening myself off playing games
and I need other things to fill the spare time.

I feel as time is going on i'm getting stupider, my learning ability is still there just not as great, which brings me to my next question.

What sort of activities can I do which are good for my brain, I've started to learn the piano which is quite enjoyable and I also go jogging for a few reasons.


What sort of recreational activities can you do which are good for your brain?

[Anonymous No.5358995]

>>5358991
science and math

[Anonymous No.5359001]

>>5358995
this.

[Anonymous No.5359002]

>>5358995
As in study related?

[Anonymous No.5359006]

>>5358991
you aren't playing the right video games if you think they are making you dumber

[Anonymous No.5359017]

>>5359006
I'm not blaming video game, i'm just saying as time goes on and after leaving college (UK) from not actively learning each day, i'm getting dumber

[Anonymous No.5359025]

Bumping this fucking thread!

[Anonymous No.5359033]

What is everyone's opinions on those brain training games for the DS?

[Anonymous No.5359045]

>>5358991
This is a rather good article about what you could stop doing to enhance your mind.

http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2012/09/pornographys-effect-on-the-brain-part-1/

Provided the computer game involved problem solving then it could be good for you.

[Anonymous No.5359047]

>>5359033
just learn math and programming, games are shit

[Anonymous No.5359064]

>>5359045
Cheers for this, started reading and it looks like a good read.

[Anonymous No.5359123]

Continue playing piano; More importantly learning scales and the music theory. It's math in another fashion and it's beauty can be applied and appreciated, by others as well as yourself, when you're able to perform freely.

[Anonymous No.5359134]

>>5359045
Thanks for giving me the final push in deleting my porn collecting, been holding onto that for a while to long.

>>5359123
Yea, I like the idea that eventually I will have a hobby I can talk about and show on my CV

[Anonymous No.5359144]

Relevant to my interests.

[Anonymous No.5359168]

>>5358991
read books

[Anonymous No.5359170]

>>5359045

Can this be extrapolated to video games?

[Anonymous No.5359186]

>>5359170
Iv'e read that games can be good for your brain, since it promotes thinking and strategies.

Now if this can be applied to all games I doubt that but even action based games require some strategy, also I think the instant gratification can be quite damaging to motivation.

[Anonymous No.5359207]

As far as nutrition goes what should I generally avoid and what should I eat?

[Anonymous No.5359227]

>>5359207
I take fish oil supplements, omega 3 and fish oils are insanely good for the body.

They show up everywhere, I have seen them be recommended for working out/exercise, joint care, mental health, everyday health etc.

as for the rest, generally eat healthy, fresh fruit and vegetables, while maintaining healthy levels of fat and not eating to much red meat.

[Anonymous No.5359223]

>>5358991
OP want to know how?
since kid I always tough that some how I understood reality more than others.
I knew how stuff worked.
Today, I am a system buster

[Anonymous No.5359224]

>>5359186

>Iv'e read that games can be good for your brain, since it promotes thinking and strategies.

[citation needed]

I've played video games constantly since the age of three and I cannot credit them with teaching me anything; at least not anything I could've learned from reading a fucking book.

[Anonymous No.5359240]

>>5359207

There is no special 'brain diet', normal rules of a healthy diet and exercise still apply. Working out does wonders for the brain.

However, if the foods have particularly psychoactive compounds in them, you might want to regulate your consumption (i.e. don't chug coke all day if the caffeine is going to keep you awake).

There is also some research suggesting that glucose plays an important role in motivation and willpower. I'll usually have a sweet coffee/decaff while I begin studying, works great.

http://gen2.ca/DBHS/Articles/TOK/DecisionFatigue.pdf

[Anonymous No.5359242]

>>5359224
Not concrete evidence, just food for thought from a quick skim search

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8233850.stm
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/11/today-in-research-video-games-affect-brain-matter-
living-longer/248274/

[Anonymous No.5359252]

>>5359224
Someone talked about it on TED. Ever since all gamers have been creaming themselves about how smart they are for wasting hours upon hours of their lives to play video games.

And yeah, I do realize how stupid it sounds to berate someone for wasting time through a post on 4chan. At least I'm honest.

[Anonymous No.5359259]

>>5359227
Which supplement do you use? I've had trouble finding a supplement that works well.

[Anonymous No.5359263]

>>5359242

Even if video games could function in some educational or learning capacity, they would be greatly outmatched by simply practising self-discipline to find enjoyment in studies.

Three hours spent extracting joy from the solving of complex and challenging mathematical problems carry far more long-term benefits than 3 hours spent playing a video game.

[Anonymous No.5359265]

Start playing Chess, Reversi, Go etc. online and try to become top ranked on all sorts of websites.

[Anonymous No.5359269]

>>5359259

NZT-48

[Anonymous No.5359272]

>>5358991
Go to /fit/ and start lifting. Learn a new language, and nootropics.

[Anonymous No.5359275]

>>5359272
lifting is a good idea in general, but it doesn't make you smarter.

Look at any math or physics department, they are all dyel.

[Anonymous No.5359278]

>>5359259
Swansons have a good selection, I normally get some from them.

>>5359263
Definitely that would be a better approach but some people can't or don't want to practice that and I was more so pointing out that video games may not be the brain killer people thought it out to be.

[Anonymous No.5359282]

>>5359263
This guy

[Anonymous No.5359288]

>>5359278
OP is seeking to improve his problem solving capabilities and is totally in the wrong ballpark. He is worried about what he shouldn't be doing, which he thinks is video games. OP should be worried about what he isn't doing that he should: disciplining himself to improve the actual skill.

[Anonymous No.5359289]

>>5359275
Yeah but the diet that follows lifting helps. Why not get ripped as well?

[Anonymous No.5359290]

>>5359224
Then u played dumb games.

Play games which are played competitively, not silly angry birds or simple shooters.

[Anonymous No.5359292]

>>5359289
Also meditation works wonders.

[Anonymous No.5359306]

Working Memory Training

Huge Creatine Dosage

Neurofeedback (possibly)

Cardiovascular exercise

Stimulants may increase specific executive functions, but not G.

Some nootropics may be effective, but research on supplemental cognitive enhancement is sorely lacking.

Your reaction to any of these methods will vary based upon your current cognitive ability, your biology, and whether or not they are even valid.

That is all

[Anonymous No.5359305]

>>5359278
>some people can't or don't want to practice that

I wonder what these people end up as?

>>5359275

Exercise facilitates learning, concentration and self-discipline, it does not cause it. Much like adderall will help you sit still and get work done, but it does not shift the knowledge into your brain all by itself.

>>5359290

>Starcraft 1/2, diamond league when I stopped
>WoW raiding, metric fucktons of number crunching
>CoD because fuck you

Get out.

[Anonymous No.5359328]

Well cheers for everyone's input, looks like the thread has peaked is now slowing down.

I appreciate all the info and i'll go do some self reflection and see how I can incorporate this into my life.

[Anonymous No.5359342]

>>5359328

/sci/ is a slow as fuck board, I would say this thread is dead just yet.

[Anonymous No.5359348]

>>5359342
Is this post missing an isn't?

[Anonymous No.5359355]

>>5359348
>>5359342

Its late and I'm tired, alright?

[Anonymous No.5359366]

>>5359355
I wasn't poking fun, just wanted some clarity.
Seemed odd of you to make a post agreeing with my point which hinted towards not agreeing.

[Anonymous No.5359387]

>>5358991
You could pick up chess or go. Both are good games which require problem solving skills and abstract reasoning.

[Anonymous No.5359401]

>>5359387
Never heard of go, i'll give that a search and read
Chess though, I've no one to play it with and the vista version always slaps my shit even on the lowest setting.

Best I managed was my king and a rook against his king and I wasn't able to trap him so I had to concede.

[Anonymous No.5359419]

>>5359401
should play with people not bots regardless

go is pretty much the best board game in existence

[Anonymous No.5359446]

>>5359419
Is there a substantial down side to playing with bots?

excluding the lack of social interaction and knowing all the moves

[Anonymous No.5359463]

>>5359446
I know one advantage. If you create a profile on an online chess site (for example chess.com) and play there, your games are recorded, so whether you win or lose (or more importantly whether you give up prematurely) becomes more of a question of losing face. Thus you put more energy into it.

[Anonymous No.5359467]

>>5359446
I don't think the social interaction is a problem, but at least for go, bots tend to encourage bad habits that won't be effective versus humans. Chess bots probably don't have this problem since their extremely strong, but I don't know as I gave up chess years ago.

[Anonymous No.5359496]

>>5359463
>>5359467
Just realised I was being a bit stupid, didn't consider playing it online against people, had this idea in my head that I needed people to play face to face.

Guess that's problem solved for finding people to play with.

[Anonymous No.5359545]

Something people were advocating on /sci/ a while ago was something called the "Dual N-Back". A grid of positions is shown. Audio of someone saying a letter or something is played, while a position on the grid is highlighted. This is given in sequence, and you must press one of two buttons whenever a letter or position is repeated N spaces back into the sequence. "Brain workshop" is one program that does this. You can modify it to give more simultaneous sequences (triple n back for example), and it's really fucking hard is all I can say. I don't know if it actually helps improve brain function.

[Anonymous No.5359675]

>>5359545
sounds interesting, i'll give it a look

[Anonymous No.5361828]

Go shoot up a school or two OP

>get kills
>pick up coins and xp
>level up
>upgrade wisdom and dexterity
>profit

[Anonymous No.5361870]

>>5361828
Why does that sound appealing to me? Have I been playing too many video games?

[Anonymous No.5361948]

>>5359545
That sounds like such a goddamn waste of time.

OP: Look, this is part of growing up. Learn to love learning again. Try stuff because it seems interesting, not because you think it will improve you in some way.
You've realised that gaming with no social interaction is worthless, this is a good step. I personally feel that this applies to online board games as well, as humans are such social creatures. If you want to play games and relax, do it with your mates, not to a computer screen.

If you want some suggestions, well, I made a list for myself. Call me a fag if you feel like it, but if you draw up one of your own, you'll have more direction and be happier for it.

Box
Gym
See dad before he dies
Raise kids
Acquire and finish interesting projects
Socialise
-meet people
-learn to speak on the phone
-become confidant
-argue
Sail
Hike & camp
Build a treehouse
Fix up cars
Sing
Have a bigger room
Have more free time
Lose fat
Read; Nieztsche, Dante, Descartes, Shakespeare, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged
Write; A diary. A Story. A Poem. A song. A report.
Study; philosophy, maths, chemical engineering, programming, psychology
Draw. Anything. Everything.
Quit the internet

It's by no means complete and it's pretty vague, but I am admittedly stuck in a rut myself.

[Anonymous No.5361966]

>>5358991
Why not just learn another language?

[Anonymous No.5363745]

>>5361948
Good God how big of a newfag can you be? Go and be dadcore in some other board.

[Anonymous No.5363791]

>>5361948
>>5361948
>socialise

Your post is now irrelevant, irregardless of its content.

>waitforit

[Anonymous No.5363810]

Starcraft II

[Anonymous No.5364157]

1. working out
2. lifting weights
3/ eating fruits and veg and other healthy shit
4. reading quickly and efficiently, learn to speed read
5. learning to think critically and ID bullshit arguments
6. nootropics, tea, and modafinil

[Anonymous No.5364191]

>>5363791

Because he's English?

Hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[Anonymous No.5364205]

In response to OP.

Investigate nootropics such as modafinil.

Invest in some exercise. Ultimately it saves time.

Reduce masturbation frequency. (google up some whitepapers to see why)

Mediation. Just a couple of minutes a day will save you all the time you do stupid things like losing your keys! There's dozens of techniques depending on your culture.

Sign up to a course or two at some online college like edX or udacity or coursera. It's good for you whatever you do really. Try something harder than you're used to and do it. Confidence is a nootropic too. Trying and failing is better than not doing anything.

^ I don't think this stuff improves your IQ that much per se, but it certainly will (dramatically) increase your productivity, your creativity, your intellectual range, all things of benefits, including living longer probably.

The key thing you'll notice with all of them, is that they all require a high level of consistency, so invest in methods of informing you to do the above e.g. mobile reminders, calender, diary, all that boring totally essential stuff.

firefoxes not related.

[Anonymous No.5364209]

>>5359045
>http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2012/09/pornographys-effect-on-the-brain-part-1/
>This huge rant about behavioral conditioning for gays being considered ethically wrong

Holy shit someone has a pet issue

[Anonymous No.5364227]

>>5359045


>http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2012/09/pornographys-effect-on-the-brain-part-1/
>That didn’t stop him from masturbating. (And, sadly, this person was White.)

[Anonymous No.5364231]

>>5364157
this

[Anonymous No.5364284]

>>5359045
Holy fuck. That...That puts things in perspective.
Thank you for posting that, Anon. You have (hopefully) just changed my life.

[Anonymous No.5364310]

>>5359045
The article you've linked to contains a hyperlink 'growing body of scientific evidence' which leads to a google search for 'pornography and brain damage' which leads to a bunch of anti-porn activist sites.

Here is a counter for worried fappers:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3115160/

[Anonymous No.5364353]

>>5359401
welp, that's why you should study. k vs k+r is winnable.

[Anonymous No.5364364]

>>5364310
i suspect a ton of samefaggerty. no way a link like that gets overwhelming support on a science board.

[Anonymous No.5364558]

>>5359290
let's take something smart, and competitive. say, good old starcraft. you can't really get more in the developing competitive strategies then with a RTS, right?
wrong. it just becomes an arcade, once the strats have been developed. it's all about APM. yes, there is still some strategy left, but not as much as with, say, a small unit FPS - if you decide to use a strategy, ofc.

[Anonymous No.5364564]

>>5359467
also, people have different levels, and different strengths and weaknesses at the same level.
great bots do too, but the usual bots don't. not with the same variety, and that's what develops bad habits.

[Anonymous No.5364591]

nootropics

[Anonymous No.5366458]

exercise and omega-3s are pretty important

[Anonymous No.5366487]

meditate

http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html