Let’s take a quick poll. Have you recently found yourself in any of these situations?
You were just holding your phone， playing with it， but a second later， you can’t remember where you put it down.
You open the refrigerator， instantly forgetting what you intended to grab. You close the door， recall it two seconds later， open it again， and forget once more.
During work meetings， your attention constantly wanders. When you get home， you try to study， but you read the same sentence three times without retaining any of it.
…
Browsing online， we’ve noticed many netizens are troubled by this state， often exclaiming， “I feel like my brain isn’t working as well as it should.”
Image source: Internet
In 2024， Oxford University Press named “brain rot” one of its words of the year. It refers to the mental and intellectual decline experienced by individuals after prolonged exposure to low-quality， fragmented online content.
Immersing ourselves in our phones has become the daily routine for many. The endless stream of short videos and app notifications not only consumes our time but also our cognitive capacity. Research suggests that continuous information overload can lead to a reduction in synaptic connections in the hippocampus， responsible for information transfer， decreased neurotransmitter secretion， and an increased error rate in memory retrieval [1].
Are there ways to help us “grow our brains” back? Rest assured， while our brains don’t undergo significant physical growth spurts after a certain age， the neuroplasticity of our brains remains remarkably high. Incorporating these small habits into your daily life can be incredibly effective!
Eat Fish for Brain Power
Yes， the first， and perhaps the easiest， tip is to eat fish. The key difference between fish and other foods lies in its rich content of Omega-3 fatty acids. These are essential fatty acids that the human body cannot synthesize on its own and must be obtained from the diet. Omega-3 fatty acids are known to help lower blood lipids， enhance immunity， and assist in improving memory [2]. So， as our mothers have always told us， eating more fish is indeed beneficial!
According to the Chinese Dietary Guidelines (2022)， consuming fish twice a week is recommended， approximately 300-500 grams in total.
Exercise for Brain Fitness
Exercise not only strengthens the body but also “trains the brain” by increasing the volume of the hippocampus， a critical area for memory. A study published in “Experimental Gerontology” divided participants into two groups: one engaged in 3 sessions of exercise and strength training per week for 50-80 minutes each， while the other maintained their usual inactive lifestyle. After six months， MRI scans revealed a significant increase in the hippocampal volume of the exercise group [3]. In contrast， the sedentary control group experienced a shrinkage in hippocampal volume， which is a normal part of aging.
The hippocampus is a core region of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Its shrinkage is closely linked to an increased risk of memory decline. Exercise can effectively reverse this trend， potentially aiding in memory preservation， delaying cognitive decline， and reducing the risk of dementia. Here are four categories of exercises scientifically proven to have the strongest “brain-boosting” effects:
1. Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Endurance Exercise
Examples include brisk walking， jogging， swimming， and cycling. Aim for at least 150 minutes per week， maintaining a heart rate around 60%-70% of your maximum heart rate. If you can’t easily gauge this， a simple method is the “talk-but-can’t-sing” test.
2. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT involves alternating short bursts of high-intensity exercise with brief periods of rest or low-intensity activity. However， this type of training is best suited for individuals with a moderate level of fitness， and caution should be taken to avoid injuries.
3. Cognitive-Motor Skill-Based Exercises
These exercises require both physical movement and mental engagement， offering a greater brain stimulus than repetitive actions. They are particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing “difficulty concentrating” or “brain fog.” Examples include ball sports， dancing， and the increasingly popular activity of rock climbing.
4. Strength Training (Resistance Training)
This includes exercises like squats， planks， push-ups， and weightlifting. It’s important to avoid sporadic， intense workouts; the neuroprotective effects and maintenance of hippocampal volume are long-term benefits.
If you find it challenging to transition from inactivity to regular exercise， start with small， manageable steps. This could be as simple as taking a short walk during work breaks or walking or cycling home from a subway stop a station early.
Sleep Early for Brain Health
This might be the most challenging habit for many of us to adopt， but going to bed early and avoiding late nights is crucial for brain maintenance. Quality sleep is paramount.
During restful periods， especially non-REM sleep， the hippocampus generates specific brain waves. This phase is considered a golden window for memory consolidation. The brain essentially “rewinds” the day’s experiences， replaying and organizing them to convert short-term memories into long-term ones. However， sleep deprivation caused by staying up late disrupts this crucial process， leading to continuous high-frequency firing of hippocampal neurons and scrambling the memory organization. Even catching up on sleep later cannot fully compensate for the impact on memory [4].
Read Books to Strengthen Your Brain
It’s never too late to start reading. A study published in “Cerebral Cortex” compared three groups: individuals who were illiterate， those who started reading from childhood， and those who began reading later in life. The findings indicated that reading significantly alters specific parts of the arcuate fasciculus in the left brain – the region connecting the temporal and parietal lobes [5].
This structural change leads to more organized and denser neural fiber bundles， facilitating smoother information transfer in fixed directions. The myelin sheaths surrounding these fiber bundles become more intact， reducing information “leakage” or interference during transmission. This， in turn， enhances cognitive abilities， including literacy. As the old saying goes， “read more books， read more newspapers， eat fewer snacks， and sleep more” – it rings true!
Consider how long it’s been since you’ve truly immersed yourself in a book. If you feel you’ve lost the skill of deep reading， you can start with simple， executable daily activities. For instance， when you hear a familiar song， try to recall the next lyric. When you see a license plate or an advertisement on the street， attempt to construct a long sentence using it. Or， after finishing this article， try to summarize its key points in your own words. Crucially， aim to read it through without frequent interruptions.
Even when watching short videos， don’t just passively scroll. Set a theme for yourself and then try to actively apply what you’ve learned. The core principle here is to keep your brain in a state of “requiring a little effort to think，” rather than passively receiving information.
Listen to Music for Mental Acuity
Music has subtly integrated into various aspects of our lives， from headphones on commutes to background melodies in restaurants. The act of listening to music engages multiple sensory systems in the brain. Previous research has demonstrated distinct differences in the auditory， visual， and motor sensory areas of musicians’ brains [6]. After musical training:
The auditory system becomes more sensitive to sound processing， allowing for the detection of smaller frequency differences. The brain regions controlling muscles and body parts involved in playing an instrument (like fingers and mouth) expand. Furthermore， the ability to interpret musical notation and pitch is positively correlated with musical perception.
To maximize brain enhancement， consider forming a synergistic loop with these habits to achieve cumulative benefits:
1. Morning exercise combined with reading activates neural plasticity， improving daytime learning efficiency.
2. Listening to music during commutes relaxes the brain， helping to ease tense nerves.
3. A midday nap solidifies the morning’s learning and frees up cognitive “memory space.”
4. Dinner with steamed fish provides omega fatty acids， aiding brain function.
5. Deep sleep is critical for memory encoding and toxin clearance， initiating a new cycle of brain health.
References
[1] The Brain Also Fears “Overload” | Xinhua Deep Read
[2] Zheng Qiufu. Research Progress of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids [J]. Chinese Journal of Health Management， 2011， 13(05): 357-360.
[3] Kim， Y. S.， Shin， S. K.， Hong， S. B.， & Kim， H. J. (2017). The effects of strength exercise on hippocampus volume and functional fitness of older women. Experimental gerontology， 97， 22-28.
[4] GiriB， Kinsky N， Kaya U， et al. Sleep loss diminishes hippocampal reactivation and replay. Nature. 2024 Jun 12. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07538-2.
[5] Thiebautde Schotten， M.， Cohen， L.， Amemiya， E.， Braga， L. W.， & Dehaene， S. (2014). Learning to Read Improves the Structure of the Arcuate Fasciculus. Cerebral Cortex， 24(4)， 989–995.
[6]Schlaug， G. 2009. “Music， musicians， and brain plasticity，” in Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology， eds S. Hallam， I. Cross and M. Thaut (Oxford: Oxford University Press)， 197–207.
Planning and Production
Author | Ding Yu， Ph.D. in Neurobiology
Review | Zhan Lixuan， Professor of Neurology， Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University， Committee Member of Biochemistry Group， Chinese Medical Association Neurology Branch
Planning | Yang Yaping
Editor | Yang Yaping
Proofreaders | Xu Lai， Zhang Linlin
