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The brain is often likened to a muscle, with many inspirational quotes and even artworks using the phrase the mind is a muscle. While the brain is not a muscle, it is an organ that controls muscles and plays a role in every one of our functions, from controlling organs to thoughts, memory, speech, and movement. Just as you would exercise your muscles, you can exercise your brain to keep it healthy and functioning at its best.
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What You'll Learn
The brain is an organ, not a muscle
While it is common to hear people say that they are "flexing their brain muscle", the brain is not actually a muscle. It is an organ—a very unusual and complex one. The brain controls muscles throughout the body and plays a role in all our functions, from controlling organs to our thoughts, memory, speech, and movements.
The brain weighs approximately one pound at birth and increases to around three pounds by adulthood. While the brain is done growing by the time a person is six years old, it continues to change as we age. During adolescence and early adulthood, subtle changes help us develop and refine the cognitive skills needed to learn new concepts and think strategically. As we continue to age, certain cognitive functions may begin to slowly decline, starting as early as age 30. These include the speed at which we process new information, our ability to multitask or focus when presented with competing stimuli, and our ability to remember facts and personal experiences.
Despite the brain not being a muscle, it is still important to exercise it, just as we would our muscles. Engaging in activities such as listening to music, working on puzzles, reading, and socializing can all give the brain a workout and help keep it healthy. Studies have also shown that physical exercise, particularly cardio, benefits cognitive function and helps reduce the risk of dementia.
While the brain may not be a muscle, it is clear that it is a powerful and essential organ that requires regular stimulation and exercise to maintain its health and functionality.
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Exercise your brain like a muscle
Although the brain is not a muscle, it is still important to train and flex it like one. The brain is an unusual and complex organ that controls our muscles, thoughts, memory, speech, and movements. It is capable of changing in response to stimulation, an ability known as "neuroplasticity". This means that we can build neurological pathways and synaptic activity at any age, just as we can build strength and endurance with physical exercise.
There are many ways to exercise your brain, such as learning a new skill, playing challenging puzzles and games, or engaging in artistic activities. For example, a 2015 research report suggests that using all your senses simultaneously may help strengthen your brain. This could include activities such as baking cookies, visiting a farmer's market, or trying a new restaurant while focusing on smelling, touching, tasting, seeing, and hearing all at the same time. Learning a new skill, such as playing a musical instrument, can also help improve memory function, even in older adults.
Engaging in physical exercise, particularly cardio, has also been shown to benefit cognitive function and help reduce the risk of dementia. Additionally, daily meditation can help to calm your body, slow your breathing, and reduce stress and anxiety, which may also help to improve your memory.
Just like with physical exercise, it is important to regularly exercise your brain to keep it strong and working at its best. By exercising your brain, you can improve your mental sharpness and help your brain stay healthy, no matter your age.
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Physical exercise improves brain health
While the brain is not a muscle, it is often likened to one because, like our muscles, it can be "flexed" and "exercised". The brain is an organ—a very complex one—that controls many of our bodily functions, including our thoughts, memory, speech, and movements.
Physical exercise is one way to flex this important "muscle". Many studies have shown that physical activity is linked to improved brain health and cognitive function. For example, a 2013 study found that young adults who played a brain-training game showed improved cognitive function, including working memory, problem-solving, and the ability to recall information. Similarly, several studies have shown that engaging in a program of regular exercise of moderate intensity over six months or a year is associated with an increase in the volume of selected brain regions.
The benefits of physical exercise on brain health are significant. It can improve memory and thinking skills, boost mood and well-being, and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also help protect against cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia. In fact, one study found that cognitive decline is almost twice as common among adults who are inactive compared to those who are active.
The good news is that any amount of physical activity can help improve brain health, and it's never too late to start. Whether it's a walk, a run, a swim, or a dance, moving your body can help your brain work better.
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Brain training games and puzzles
Although the brain is not a muscle, it is often compared to one because, like our muscles, we need to exercise it to keep it healthy and functioning at its best. Brain training games and puzzles are a fun way to give your brain a workout.
There are many brain training games and puzzles available online and via apps. For example, Lumosity is one of the most established brain training and mental fitness programs. It offers a free account to play three games per day, or a subscription service for more offerings. Lumosity's exercises have been shown to improve attention and motor speed. Similarly, Happy Neuron divides its games and activities into five critical brain areas: memory, attention, language, executive functions, and visual/spatial. It personalizes the training to fit you, tracks your progress, and the games are based on scientific research. However, it requires a monthly subscription fee to use the site.
Braingle, on the other hand, is a free website that provides more than 15,000 puzzles, games, and other brain teasers, as well as an online community of enthusiasts. You can even create your own puzzles. Braingle has a wide variety of offerings, including optical illusions, codes and ciphers, and trivia quizzes.
If you're looking for something more educational, Elevate's games center on reading, writing, speaking, and math, and you can customize your training to focus on whichever areas you prefer. Peak is another app-only option that provides brain games to help you work on focus, memory, problem-solving, mental agility, and more cognitive functions.
For those who prefer traditional puzzles, crosswords are a classic brain trainer, accessing not only verbal language but memory from many dimensions of knowledge. Sudoku and matching games are also great options that help develop critical thinking and focus.
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Socialising, sports and artistic activities
While the brain is not a muscle, it can be trained and flexed like one. The brain is an organ that controls muscles throughout the body. Just as you can target specific muscle groups during a workout, stimulating your brain through specific activities can improve its function.
Socialising Activities
Socialising is one way to train your brain. Research shows that strong social ties are crucial to brain health. Socialising can stimulate attention and memory, and help strengthen neural networks. Social interaction can reduce loneliness and stress, and people with strong social ties are less likely to experience cognitive decline. Some ways to improve your social connections include Rekindling old friendships and playing games such as Bridge, Poker, Rummy, or Solitaire, which can improve memory, decision-making, and adaptability.
Sports Activities
Playing sports is another way to exercise your brain. Physical exercise, particularly cardio, benefits cognitive function and helps reduce the risk of dementia. Sports that involve strategic thinking, such as Scrabble or Chess, can stimulate vocabulary, language skills, and decision-making. These mind sports provide a diverse range of mental challenges that can improve attention, working memory, planning, imagination, and other aspects of executive cognitive function.
Artistic Activities
Engaging in artistic activities is another way to train your brain. Creativity exercises, such as freewriting or setting aside time for creative exploration without expectations or deadlines, can help clear unnecessary thoughts and make room for new ideas. The "idea machine" concept, pioneered by James Altucher, involves coming up with ten new ideas each day on various topics, which can help improve creative thinking.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the brain is an organ, not a muscle. Muscle is made up of muscle tissue, which is muscle cells grouped into elastic bundles that contract together to produce motion and/or force.
People say "the mind is a muscle" to encourage others to exercise their minds. Just like muscles, the mind can be stimulated through activities such as reading, listening to music, and socializing.
You can exercise your mind by engaging in activities that provide regular stimulation, such as reading, listening to music, working on puzzles, and socializing. Physical exercise is also proven to improve cognitive functioning and is therefore beneficial to the mind.
If you don't exercise your mind, certain cognitive functions may begin to decline over time. For example, you may experience a decrease in your ability to process new information, multitask, focus, and remember facts and personal experiences.
