What to read at your leisure. The most interesting books are lists. After you, Jojo Moyes

A person's study period is not limited to the years spent at the school desk. It is worthwhile to achieve success at work, in personal life and in communication with other people. The best teacher has always been a book. What to read for self-development? Here is a selection of 40 works of fiction and popular science worthy of becoming a modern man's handbook.

Classics: 9 fiction books for all time

  1. Antoine de Saint-Exupery. "The little Prince". A fairy tale written by a French pilot for children should be read, first of all, by adults. The work teaches you to truly love and be friends, and also makes you look at the world of adults through the eyes of a child.
  2. Bulgakov Mikhail. "The Master and Margarita". A mystical novel, difficult to understand, in which two storylines are intertwined - the events taking place in Moscow in the 30s of the last century, and the last days of the life of Jesus Christ.
  3. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "One Hundred Years of Solitude." A work-parable by a Spanish author, leading to the idea of ​​how important it is to value and preserve family ties in the world of people doomed to loneliness.
  4. Green Alexander. "Scarlet Sails". A romantic story about a naive girl, Assol, waiting for a prince on a white ship with scarlet sails. People do not understand and shy away from her, but one day they will see - dreams come true, if you really believe.
  5. Dostoevsky Fedor. "Crime and Punishment". A socio-psychological novel, which conveys the feelings of a student who killed an old woman for profit. Fear and remorse make him admit his guilt, demanding just retribution.
  6. Orwell George. 1984. The most famous dystopia in the literature of the 20th century, describing a world ruled by a totalitarian regime. The story in the novel is fictional, but the author was able to analyze it so deeply and describe it in detail that it seems realistic.
  7. Tolstoy Lev. "War and Peace". The era of romanticism in the Russian Empire was a period of tender feelings and passionate confessions, balls and duels, and also the war going on with Napoleonic France. One of the best works of Russian literature conquers not only with the intricacies of the plot and vivid description of battle scenes, but above all - with the philosophical reflections of the author.
  8. Erich Maria Remarque. "Three comrades". The novel takes place in Germany in the 1920s. But the hardships of the post-war period are just a background in the work, on which an inspiring story of love and friendship unfolds.
  9. Hemingway Ernest. "Bye weapons!". The best book about the First World War, making you realize the value of human life, as well as love, which seems like a mirage when death is near.

In the world of psychology: 10 books that change people

  1. Napoleon Hill. "Think and get rich". The bestseller, first published in America back in 1937, has been reprinted 42 times and is still among the best-selling books. For those who want to become successful and rich, the author of the articles advises to take 13 concrete steps and get what they want.
  2. Allen Carr. "An easy way to quit smoking." A legendary book, in which the author described a technique that he himself brought out and, with its help, quit smoking. The method changed all the usual ideas of smokers that only strong wills can say goodbye to cigarettes forever. It is based on unobtrusive psychotherapy, which the reader does not even notice.
  3. Brian Tracy. Get out of your comfort zone. This is a practical guide from a renowned business coach. From the book you can learn about 21 methods to improve personal effectiveness. Implementation of the rules suggested by the author will allow you to better manage your time and yourself.
  4. Miller Sharon. "Stress tolerance". The reason for many failures in the business and personal sphere is the inability to adequately respond to crisis situations. The book will teach you not only to calmly experience stressful conditions, but also to make them useful.
  5. Ekman Paul. "Psychology of lies, deceive me if you can." How to avoid becoming a victim of psychological manipulation? What words and gestures betray a lie? The answers to these questions will be of interest to everyone - from housewives to politicians.
  6. Keith Ferrazzi. "Never eat alone." A collection of articles on networking - an effective communicative technique that allows you to quickly establish friendships and, through them, solve life problems.
  7. Robert Sutton. "Don't work with m *** and." Quitters, egoists, manipulators, hooligans - there are many people who interfere with productive work. But the main thing is that you have to coexist with them. How to deal with destructive members of the team? Which of them can be changed, and with whom is it better to part?
  8. Covey Stephen. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In his book, the successful entrepreneur and motivational lecturer introduces readers to the intricacies of self-improvement. The author teaches you to set goals correctly, lists the skills inherent in a leader.
  9. Cialdini Robert. "Psychology of Influence". The popular science work that made the American scientist famous opens the door to the complex world of interpersonal relationships. The book is worth reading for those who want to better understand others and their motives, learn how to influence people.
  10. Frankl Victor. "Say" Yes! "To life. The book-revelation, written for those who have lost their life guidelines, lost faith in their abilities. The work is based on the personal observations and experiences of Victor, a psychotherapist who went through the Nazi death camps.

Ten books for self-development for men and women

Most men would like to see themselves as successful, decisive and attractive. What topics are the representatives of the stronger sex interested in? Not only entertaining, but also developing are memoirs and biographies of famous people. Useful information for yourself can be gleaned from textbooks on imageology, psychology of personal and professional growth.

  • Barbara de Angelis. "Secrets Every Man Should Know About Women."
  • Waldschmidt Dan. "Be the best version of yourself!"
  • Gray John. "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus".
  • Larssen Eric. "On the limit".
  • Machiavelli Niccolo. "Sovereign".
  • Rand Ayn. "Atlas Shrugged".
  • Seelig Tina. "Make yourself".
  • Flasser Alan. "For a real man."
  • Hume James. "Secrets of Great Speakers."

Women care about what clothes they need to wear to look stylish and attractive. In addition to fashion, they are interested in the basics of healthy eating and cooking, parenting and relationships with men. Problems of professional growth are not alien to modern ladies either.

  • Blumenthal Brett. "A Year Lived Right."
  • Brodsky Danielle. "Diary of a Business Woman".
  • Grace Natalia. “Work, money and love. A guide to self-realization ”.
  • Goodman Amy. "We put on this, we throw it away."
  • Laundes Leil. "How to make anyone fall in love with you."
  • Tim Gunn. Fashion Bible.
  • Fat Natalia. "A duel with treason."
  • Harvey Steve. "You don't know anything about men."

There are many interesting books. All of them, both artistic and scientific, develop the intellect, aesthetic taste and spiritual qualities of a person. That is why it is important to keep reading and carefully monitor the emerging news.

Nowadays, reading is not only necessary, but also useful. However, those who like to take their time with some fascinating book are very often faced with the fact that they simply do not know which work is really worth the time spent on it. To get around this problem, you need to know and remember the most interesting books waiting to be read. Anyone who makes such a small list for themselves will not waste a huge amount of their precious time searching for works.

The most interesting books for teenagers to read. Novel "It's Good to Be Quiet"

I must say that in recent years, reading has become fashionable, and this is great. Several years ago, not a single teenager took a rest, sitting at a book, because peers could make fun of him. Now the situation is completely different: it is a shame not to read! Therefore, many teenagers are fond of literature that interests them. However, very often they cannot choose the works that suit them, because many writers write, as it seems to them, “boring”, and such books are very difficult for teenagers to read. In order not to face such problems, it is necessary to make a list called "The most interesting books that teenagers should read."

One of all teenagers is "It's good to be quiet." The plot of this novel is very exciting and interesting, moreover, the work is written in an easy and understandable language for every teenager.

This book will focus on Charlie - the main character, who once overheard a conversation of his classmates about a guy who has the ability to understand the thoughts of other people. The hero was in a depressed state associated with the death of Helen's aunt and his best friend, whose name was Michael. Charlie found out the address of the "understanding" guy and began to write letters to him. In them, he detailed all his feelings and experiences, but hid his address and name.

"The house in which ..."

No less will be the "House in which ...". This novel is intended for those who are fond of horror, mysticism and fantasy. It is important that the plot of the work does not allow the reader to relax for a second, because with each new sentence read, the teenager gets acquainted with new actions taking place in the novel.

"The house in which ..." describes the events that unfold in the boarding school for children with disabilities. They are experienced by the protagonist named the Smoker. He was transferred to another group, as he quarreled with his own, and it was after this that he became a witness to the unusual and mystical phenomena taking place in the House.

The list of books for teens, entitled “Most Interesting Books to Read,” could include “For Boys and Girls. A book of tips for survival at school. "

This work will be interesting precisely for those children who study in middle and high school. For those who are still in elementary school, it is better to postpone the acquaintance with the book. It is worth noting that people who have graduated from school long ago would also be interested in reading this work and remembering their school years.

The best books about life. "Crime and Punishment"

Not only teenagers love to read, but also adults. They are interested in literature written in a more "complex" language. Many adults love to read books about life. After all, it is in such works that you can find yourself, draw conclusions, change your outlook on life and learn worthwhile lessons from them. In order not to spend a lot of time looking for a good book about life, you need to make a small list for yourself called "The most interesting books about life that are worth reading."

One of the most famous of the 19th and 20th centuries is "Crime and Punishment" by the great FM Dostoevsky. Probably, people who are not familiar with this work do not exist. The novel describes the mental drama of a man who decided to kill and committed it. "Crime and Punishment" is considered a classic of Russian and world literature. Anyone who wants to read any literature about the life of a little person needs to get acquainted with this work.

"Life and Fate"

The most interesting books worth reading about life can always delight and surprise any reader. Therefore, everyone who wants to read really good literature should make a small list for themselves, with the help of which it will be possible to spend time with pleasure and benefit.

The work "Life and Fate" should be noted, because it is it that is considered one of the best books about life.

Through this novel, the author tried to convey to the reader that there is nothing that can be put above human values: neither the ideals of the revolution, nor a separate system, etc. The writer wanted to show that the life and fate of any person is the greatest value.

Lust for Life: Vincent Van Gogh

If you want to find some worth reading, don't miss Lust for Life: Vincent Van Gogh. You will surely like it. Every lover of literature about human life will not remain indifferent after reading the book, because it is a real masterpiece.

This work describes the very tragic fate of the great Vincent Van Gogh. The reader will get acquainted with how hard the artist's life was, no one understood him. Van Gogh's work was criticized and not accepted by society.

Now your list, entitled "The most interesting books that everyone should read", has been replenished. However, it is worth remembering a few interesting works on psychology that will appeal to every reader.

List of books on psychology. "People who play games"

If you do not like science fiction, mysticism, drama, etc., then a list entitled "The most interesting books worth reading about psychology" will be an excellent assistant in choosing good literature for you.

One of the most popular and best books on psychology is People Who Play Games. It can be safely added to the list under the title "The most interesting books that are worth reading." The work was written by the world famous psychologist Eric Berne, who created the transactional analysis, as well as the system of psychological assistance based on it.

The book is dedicated to the reader's ability to get rid of complexes and stereotypes that hinder him in everyday life. Through this work, the author tried to teach all readers to analyze their communication.

From the very beginning, the psychologist wanted to publish this book as an advanced textbook on psychology, but he managed to write it in a simple and understandable language for everyone, which can be understood by anyone who has expressed a desire to get acquainted with this work.

In order not to doubt the choice of literature suitable for you, you must use the list called "The most interesting books worth reading." Reviews for each piece you choose can be easily found. This will help you understand what impressions the reader has after reading this or that book, and that is why you can make the right choice of the work.

"A man in search of meaning"

Undoubtedly, the book "Man in Search of Meaning" is a masterpiece of literature on psychology, which is simply necessary for everyone to read. A lover of works on psychology should get acquainted with this book, because it contains reasoning and answers to some important questions for every person. The book "Man in Search of Meaning" raises such eternal questions as the meaning of life and death, love and suffering, etc. The author decided to pay great attention to issues related to psychotherapy.

"Psychoanalytic diagnostics: Understanding the structure of personality in the clinical process"

The best one that absolutely everyone should get acquainted with is "Psychoanalytic Diagnostics: Understanding the Structure of Personality in the Clinical Process."

The work is one of the best textbooks on psychoanalytic diagnostics of personality. However, the scary title has absolutely no effect on the content. This book is written in "plain language". The work will be of interest to absolutely everyone who is fond of psychology and loves to read the relevant literature, written “simply” and “easily”.

However, a lot of people prefer to read not what they think "complex works". Many people simply adore the classics and everything connected with it. Therefore, it is necessary to list several works that can be safely included in the list entitled “The most interesting books worth reading. A classic that will remain in the heart ”.

Classics of literature that everyone should read. Faust

Classics will never go out of style, because such works appeal to most people who are fond of reading. In order to easily find such a book, you need to make a small list of the best works that will not leave anyone indifferent.

Faust is considered one of the most significant works in German literature. It is important that Goethe worked on this book throughout his life. The author completed the work a few days before his death. The writer saw the story of Doctor Faust for the first time when he was 15 years old, and after five years he decided to start creating his own interpretation of the popular myth, filling it with philosophical questions that relate to being.

Despite the fact that "Faust" is a very interesting work, it is necessary to replenish the list of "The most interesting books that are worth reading." The list of literary masterpieces will help each reader find what he has been looking for for a long time and read such works that are very popular.

"War and Peace"

War and Peace is the greatest epic novel that shows Russian society during the wars against Napoleon. The novel contains a huge number of parts, as well as chapters with plot completeness. This book contains hundreds of episodes that will not leave the reader indifferent.

"One Hundred Years of Solitude"

No less amazing is the work "One Hundred Years of Solitude". It is worth saying that reading this novel will cause a storm of emotions in every reader, as well as leave the best impressions. Therefore, if you want to read a real masterpiece of literature, make a choice in favor of the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Now you can safely name the most interesting books worth reading. A list of these works will always help in difficult times when you want to read some good literature. Books are the best friends that will help save yourself from depression, as well as learn a lot of new things, in addition to spending your free time with benefit. Therefore, you should not spend a lot of time looking for really good books that are worth your time, because a list of the most interesting books will always help you quickly choose a book, and it will definitely become your favorite.

It always surprises me when someone says, "I don't read books." Yes, there are many things in the world that take up our time - movies, video games, the media. But you should still find time to read. If you don't read books, you are missing out on a lot.

1. Reading improves imagination and creativity

When we read, we give new life to the written words - they are transformed in our imagination. We reintroduce the images, sounds, smells of a fascinating story. And this work develops the "creative muscles" of our brain - and there are few places where you can find such effective exercises.

2. Improving intelligence

Despite all the advances in modern technology, reading remains the best way to learn and store information. Those who read more get smarter. They have filled their heads with information that others do not have and will not have without books.

3. Reading can change your life

Some books can change your life in ways you yourself would not expect. Books like The Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies or Flowers for Algernon made me see the world differently. These books had a deep impact on me, I changed by reading each of them. This is the power of reading - a journey into oneself, not just a fascinating plot. Just like after traveling, after such books, you are not the same as before.

4 readers are sexy

According to research, women find smart guys sexier than those with average intelligence. Intelligence is one of the most sought-after qualities that women look for in men. So, lonely guys, check out the bookstore!

5. Ability to empathize

It is difficult to imagine yourself in the place of someone else, especially if his world is very different from yours.
Reading is a great way to "look into another person's head", to know his thoughts and feelings. Instead of looking at life from one point, you can see the world through different eyes!

6. Wisdom

Each time you open a book, you fill your head with knowledge, facts, opinions, stories. Reading is like a continuous delivery of information. Together with this information, the reader gains experience. Books are stories about someone's life lessons, about experiences. This is an opportunity for you to understand how the world works. By reading books, you become wiser.

7. Self-improvement

The more you read, the broader your vocabulary. It is not surprising - after all, you regularly come across so many words in different books that soon you yourself begin to use them in everyday life. Good readers usually write well themselves. Any successful writer will tell you that you need to read every day to improve your writing skills. Moreover, reading helps to improve self-confidence. It can help you in many areas of your life, such as social relationships or promotions.

8. Improving thinking skills

Reading strengthens analytical thinking. People who read identify patterns faster than those who do not. Reading sharpens your mind and strengthens the synapses in your brain, because it also trains your memory. In other words, your brain gets stronger and faster because you read.

9. Improving attention and concentration

Most of us are accustomed to "multitasking", have learned to divide our attention between the TV, the Internet, the phone and a lot of other things. But this way we lose the ability to focus at the right moment on one important matter. Reading a book improves your ability to concentrate. After all, the book itself requires full concentration of attention, because if you get distracted, you lose the thread of the narrative.

10. Readers have a better chance of success.

You can probably find successful people who don't read books. But it's difficult. Think of famous scientists, businessmen, writers, politicians. If they all have a common interest, then this is reading.

11. Generation of ideas

Ideas are a powerful engine. Scientific and technical achievements are based on them. They solve world problems, cure diseases. Ideas can change our lives. When you read, you get a lot of new thoughts. These thoughts are spinning in your head - and help you create your own amazing idea.

12. Reading will help you prioritize correctly.

Reading opens up new possibilities for you. You will read about new adventures, a different way of life - about various things that you haven't even thought about before. Perhaps you think about it and realize that you want to change your life and set other goals for yourself. And what is important in your life is not at all what you previously put in the first place.

13. Live Multiple Lives

People who don't read can only live their own lives. Readers have access to many, many lives - real or fictional characters. We can feel what they felt, experience what they experienced.
Our own life experience makes us stronger and wiser. But if you only live one life, you are depriving yourself of other people's experiences and lessons from their lives.

14. Improving mental health

Just like the muscles in the body, the brain needs to be energized to stay healthy and strong. Research has shown that mental activities such as reading can slow (or even prevent) Alzheimer's and dementia. And people who have read a lot in their life, much later experience age-related deterioration in memory and mental abilities, compared to those who did not like to read.

15. Around the world without leaving home

Traveling is the best way to get to know other peoples and cultures. And the second best way is reading. It can open up a whole new world for you - there, right outside your doorstep. A lot of books have been written about different countries, you can read about any corner of the globe and get acquainted with the life of different peoples with the help of books.

16. Improving physical health

We usually read in silence, alone with ourselves. When you are passionate about a good book, you are in a state close to meditation. Reading is relaxing and calming. The result is a reduction in stress, a normalization of blood pressure. People who read are less likely to suffer from mood disorders.

17. More topics for conversation

The more you learn about new topics, stories and opinions, the easier it becomes for you to strike up a conversation. After all, you have an inexhaustible source of new discussion material in your hands!

18. Explore yourself

Have you heard the expression "lost in the book"? Reading is an active process, and you yourself are actively involved in it, as if participating in the action. Through reading, you can learn a lot about yourself. For example, you might ask yourself what would you do if you were the hero of the book. And the answer may surprise you.

19. Broaden your horizons

If you are not reading, then your world is small. You know only a fraction of what is happening around you. Reading will reveal to you how big the world really is. There are many subjects in which I knew nothing. It was only when I started reading about them that I realized how little I knew before!

Thousands of books are printed every month. Add blog posts and magazine articles to that. You can always find something to your taste among this variety. Moreover, now there is nothing easier than becoming a reader. Libraries are everywhere - and they are free! Now there are digital copies of books, which means that you don't even have to go to the library.

So, given all the benefits of reading listed, there is no reason not to read.

We all want to be smart, shine with ingenuity, wit and intellect, but only a select few like Nikolai Baskov and Gennady Onishchenko succeed in doing this. Read this article and the world in your head will sparkle with new convolutions.

Alexander Kanygin

1. Read more

The more complex and unusual the books are, the better. Complex constructions, long, detailed sentences, rare words, abstruse articles from our magazine and especially poetry - a real "Rastishka" for your brain.

2. Drum on the table

Better yet, make it a rule to accompany the music you hear: on your knee, tabletop or freshly bought tom-tam - it doesn't matter. With palms or chopsticks. San Diego-based neuroscientist Anirud Patel believes that sense of rhythm plays an important role in learning. After all, the basal ganglia are responsible for it - the lobes of the brain involved in motor functions.

3. Listen to classical music

Especially Mozart. In 1995, psychologist Frances Rauscher tricked thirty rats into a room. For two months the Sonata for two pianos in C major was played there periodically. After the experiment, it turned out that the animals began not only to dance better, but also to run the maze faster and with fewer mistakes than the other group of rats that lived these two months in silence.

4. Train your memory

London taxi drivers, for example, have an enlarged hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for emotions and memory. Why are you worse?

■ Bookmark the site brainscale.ru. There you will find one of the variants of the "N Back" problem, developed in 1958 to study and stimulate the activity of certain areas of the brain, the development of working memory, logical thinking and the ability to concentrate. Try to take the test every day, set aside a few minutes at the beginning of the day and the same at the end. According to a 2008 study by Suzanne Yeggie, regular training in this task can significantly develop mobile intelligence, expand a person's working memory, improve logical thinking and the ability to concentrate.

■ After making a list of products to buy, re-read it several times and try to remember not their names, but your future path through different departments in the store. After collecting everything in a cart and standing in line, try to calculate the total in your mind. If it turns out to be true later, you can buy yourself a spinach bush as a reward: it is good for memory.

■ Set aside half an hour daily to memorize poetry. The last time you did this was in kindergarten, but all the words flew out of your head at the moment when the official part of the holiday ended and the coffin was lowered into the ground. The content of the poems does not play any role.

5. Have some coffee

Caffeine stimulates the release of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine - they help you stay toned and stay focused. It is important not to overdo it: a very large dose of caffeine will make you overexcited and will not be able to think rationally. Caffeine in doses of more than 300 mg (four cups of natural coffee) per day will give anxiety, headache, tremors, arrhythmias.

6. Albert Einstein

Theoretical physicist, Nobel laureate:
“Intellectual growth must begin from the moment of birth and end only with death. Knowing where to find information and how to use it is the secret to success. The mind, once expanded its boundaries, will never return to the former. Outstanding personalities are formed not through beautiful speeches, but by their own work and its results. "

7. Mark Porcius Cato

Senior statesman, writer:
"A wise man learns more from fools than fools from a wise man."

8. Play chess, checkers and poker

These games not only can make you richer, but they are also great for developing your thinking. If you think that you play chess too well, try playing for a while, so that it takes no more than a minute to make a decision.

9. Develop your numerical sense

Yes, yes, you already have one. Fetch a handful of change from your pocket, take a quick look at it and try to calculate the total from memory. Veronique Izgard, a cognitive psychologist at Harvard, found that ancient brain structures are responsible for the expense, with an age of something about a quasi a million years (is there such a number? We are bad with this), but they can develop throughout life. To check how developed your CC is at the moment, take a short test or a large-scale test, the results of which will even be preserved in the annals of an American university and will help move science forward. Well, then - develop CC. The easiest way is to pack things in a bag. When you figure out how best to cram them, your brain solves the most difficult problems and trains.

10. Feed your brain right!

Especially if you still can't tell a single poem from the school curriculum to the end, and Facebook reminds you of the birthdays of your acquaintances.

■ Walnuts. Almost the main food for a polymath! They even look like a brain. Five nuts a day - and you will be provided with lecithin, which improves brain function and activates memory. Nuts are also useful if you suddenly live in conditions of increased radiation.

■ Fish. Short and cold, it is rich in iodine, its meat contains omega-3 fatty acids, which provide a quick influx of energy necessary for the transmission of impulses in the brain cells. They also regulate blood cholesterol levels and improve vascular function. Eating at least 100 grams of fish a day will increase your reaction rate and reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Pumpkin seeds... Pour half a glass into your jacket pocket and during office scandals improve your memory and make your brain think faster. All thanks to zinc.

■ Spinach. Add it to your morning omelet two to three times a week. Lutein in spinach protects brain cells from premature aging.

■ Sage. At Johns Hopkins University, they found that sage suppresses the action of amino acids responsible for memory impairment. Now they drink tea with sage every day and remember everyone about everyone.

11. Try to guess the next phrase of the interlocutor

Rebecca Says of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is confident that with proper training, people will be able to understand others without words at all - by facial expressions, eyes and other similar signs. The section of the brain behind the right ear is responsible for this and is responsible for intuition.

12. Start a blog

Talking about the events of the day in it, you will not only learn to clearly formulate thoughts, but you will also constantly think about new topics and sharp answers to the questions of loyal readers.

13. Koichi Tohei

Writer, master of aikido, holder of 10th dan, founder of the Ki-Aikido Style Kii Society “Reading is the cornerstone of intelligence. Fill your free time with reading all kinds of books. Read novels, non-fiction, biographies. Skim the book first to get a general idea of ​​it. If you think it makes sense, read it again. As a result, your brain's ability to adapt to different circumstances and to organize a wide variety of data will increase. "

14. Solve crosswords

Surprisingly, it works: the work of the brain is great spur on serious crosswords.

15. Konstantin Sheremetyev

Researcher, author of the project "Intelligence" (), author of the books "The Perfect Brain: How to Control the Subconscious" and "How to Become Smarter":
“Someone thinks that if at school he was good at solving problems in mathematics or something like that, it means that he is smart and will remain that way forever. This is utter nonsense. If you pump up your muscles at the age of 18, and then lie down on the sofa and forget about them, then very soon they will atrophy. And the same thing happens with the efficiency of the brain. "

To the answer!

Konstantin Sheremetyev cleverly answers our stupid questions.

Who can be considered smart?
A person who uses his brain for everyday tasks. The main mental activity takes place in the subconscious. It is not taught to handle it in school, so most people's brains are idle. He does not help them in any way in life. And the main purpose of intelligence is to ensure survival. Therefore, in order to evaluate the mind of a person, remember the rule: the result of the work of the intellect is a change in the material world. Survival? Then who is smarter - an office worker or a hunter in the wild?
Oddly enough, the brain does not distinguish between these activities. Both need to explore their surroundings and learn to act effectively in the given environment. How many minutes or hours a day should you spend on brain training?
The brain works around the clock. The only question is how much load you give him. If you look critically at life, look for what you want to do, realize yourself, then the brain starts to work to its fullest. If there is no mental load, he atrophies and is only capable of thinking according to a template. You have developed an emergency response program for astronauts. Are they smarter than those who have not been in space?
I entered knowledge in various fields into the artificial intelligence system so that in a dangerous situation it would suggest the right solution. But you can save useful tips for all occasions on your phone. Then, for example, in the event of an accident, you will know exactly what to do.

16. Learn a foreign language

Andrea Machelli, PhD in Neuroscience at the University of London, proves that people who know several foreign languages ​​find it easier to switch between different mental tasks. An additional impetus in the development of your brain will give a new way of learning incomprehensible foreign words.

■ Let's say learning a language through parallel translations. On getparalleltranslations.com you can find books with both English and Russian texts on their pages. In fact, these are the same credits with which you love to watch new series so much.

■ Slovak web developer Wojtek Rinik believes that words need to be learned before they appear in your book. Surprised by his advice, you have to feed the unfamiliar text to the wordsfromtext.com service, he will in response generate a list of the most used words and offer you to mark the unfamiliar in it. They can optionally be printed out with translation, memorized and already fully armed to pounce on unsuspecting literature.

17. Install yourself a smart app

Feeling an unpleasant throbbing in a brain that was growing too fast, we stared at the screens of mobile phones, hoping to find salvation in some mind-numbing game. But what is it? And on mobile devices you will not step a step away from the dominance of educational programs!

Memory trainer. Consecutively memorize the pressing of multi-colored buttons and repeat them. In fact, this is the same “N back” problem disguised as a game.
Einstein. Training for the mind. HD-collection of 30 exercises for the development of logic, memory, counting and attention.
Genius Brain. A variation on the theme of a well-known logical problem, created, according to legend, by Einstein from unwillingness to go to kindergarten.

18. Don't waste time

If you have a free minute at work and you want to see a couple of meters of funny pictures, it is better to open Wikipedia and read the "random" article.

19. Take a walk

It is enough to parade around the house three times a week for half an hour in order to concentrate attention, learn and think abstractly by 15%. And it's not just the flow of oxygen to your stifling office neurons: scientists from the Salk Institute have proven that moderate physical activity in the fresh air forces the brain to grow new cells.

20. Give Your Brain a Rest

No matter how busy you are, in the process of mental activity it is imperative to rest every hour and a half. For example, do some simple exercise or just walk down the hall and have a cup of coffee. Consider it a necessity. So the analytical centers of the brain better digest the accumulated information and, no, no, yes, and come to some unexpected conclusion.

21. Spur Your Brain

If you ignored all our advice, and tomorrow the championship finals “What? Where? When?" league of classmates, there is another way to shake the fat on the brain convolutions.

■ Neurometabolic stimulants, or nootropics, are drugs that have an activating effect on memory and mental activity, which will help you to urgently increase IQ. Note: completely legal. Words to search for in a pharmacy are: phenotropil, allertek, deprenyl. You can also try phenibut, but, unlike previous drugs, it is drunk in a course of 2-3 weeks, a single use will not give the desired result. And it should be like this: lack of desire to quit everything and go to sleep, increased reaction speed, slight irritability and the feeling that you are smarter than everyone around you. There is, however, a small problem. "The effect of nootropics on the brain has not yet been fully studied," says Konstantin Anokhin, head of the laboratory of neurobiology of memory at the Institute of Normal Physiology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. And one more thing: do not confuse nootropics with dietary supplements. These will also make you smarter for a while, but they act differently, and their effect is weaker. These are, say, ginkgo biloba, guarana, eleuthero and ginseng root.

22. Play Tetris

A study by American scientists has shown that this classic puzzle can have a positive effect on the development of the human brain. Testing has shown that regular practice of playing Tetris can increase the amount of gray matter in a player's brain and improve their thinking ability. The brains of people who played this puzzle for half an hour a day during the experiment for three months underwent changes in areas related to movement, critical thinking, reasoning, language and information processing.

23. Leonardo da Vinci

Artist, inventor, scientist, writer:
"Iron rusts, finding no use for itself, standing water rots or freezes in the cold, and the human mind withers."

24. Anatoly Wasserman

Journalist, political consultant:
“Read and watch more, try to find connections and analogies between different knowledge - and pretty soon you will feel what other gaps it would be worth filling in order to understand more. Without intelligence, everything else is just useless. Being smart is not only fashionable, but also very enjoyable. In my experience, what interests you is better remembered. Be curious - and effortlessly memorize anything that turns out to be curious. But in order to preserve memory, you need to work actively, have diverse interests. Then a lot will be remembered, and memory will be a reliable support ”.

25. Sleep well

It is in a dream that the brain processes the information collected during the day and forms memories. As calculated by the staff of the University of California at Berkeley, an adult usually needs 6 to 8 hours of sleep.

26. Read in new ways

You, of course, have already skimmed through this advice and moved on to the next one. Try to go back and do this.

■ Take a pencil and, leading it under the line, read the text. The eye, having caught the movement, will run after the pointer, while reading everything that you slipped into it. Speed ​​up the movement of the pencil each time - so your eyes will get used to the increased load, your reading speed will increase, and you will be able to absorb information faster.

■ 80% of people mentally pronounce words when reading. You acquired this bad habit while learning to read: you pronounced the text by letter, then by syllables, then put them into words. But this is not at all necessary for understanding. To combat the inner voice, learn to read the text, simultaneously counting to thirty or singing (without words) a song. For a week or two you will not understand the content of the text, but gradually everything will return to normal.

■ According to physiologists, in a person who sees something exciting, the pupils reflexively dilate. When you reach an interesting place in the text, the same thing is observed: the pupil expands, more light enters the eye, which means that it can capture more information. The only problem is how to get yourself to believe that the investigative report in front of you is as interesting as the interview with the cover girl. From a neurophysiological point of view, interest arises when the brain compares new information with the one already in memory. So just assume what exactly can be written in the text. The brain will be forced to compare information with real information and, willy-nilly, show interest.

27. Get yourself an unusual hobby

(ideas will be given to you by our heading "Idea!").
New activities, according to the Salk Institute for Biological Research in the suburbs of San Diego, firstly, are excellent at helping to distract from the routine, and secondly, they will force your brain to adapt to unfamiliar activities and, as a result, train.

28. Alan Weiss

President of the NCH Health Alliance:
“When you are completely immersed in the world of the game, your brain focuses on solving urgent problems. He is looking for unusual solutions and ways out of situations that are unusual in everyday life. Later, these same ideas can be useful to you in real life, at work or when communicating. "

29. Try new ways to get information