Joshua Green, a senior editor for “the Atlantic” assumed the position as lab rat for Wired Magazine, documented an interesting story that scratches at the surface of man’s quest to better himself.   Over a four week period, Joshua put his body and brain through a series of tasks to learn if cognitive improvement was possible.

WEEK TWO: More lifestyle changes. Neuroscientists say that showering with your eyes closed and brushing your teeth with your “opposite” hand can open up new neural pathways by challenging your “proprioception” – your brain’s perception of movement and spatial orientation. This morning I try closing my eyes in the shower, quickly become disoriented, and wipe out. (Get a rubber bath mat, trust me.) I also find it surprisingly hard to keep my eyes shut through an entire shower. My solution: a sleep mask. It works nicely, but I look like a naked Lone Ranger.

I finished the article on the R train to Bklyn and hurriedly made my way to the bathroom of my apartment to begin brushing my teeth with my left hand…not rocket science.  The “blind shower” did not require a bath mat.  I found that the most difficult aspect of it was trying to decipher whether or not I had squeezed enough shampoo into my hand.  I guess that’s the point.  We breeeze through our days swiping metro cards, adding milk and sugar to our coffee, and responding to emails without so much as a second thought.  But…do we really know what we are doing?  Are we truly cognitive of our actions and aware of the mechanics behind the signals given off by the neurons in our brain?

I am here to find out.  I didn’t have too many New Year resolutions, so for the next month, I am going “on assignment” to lower my brain age.  Though, I’d rather be on assignment playing 18 holes and napping in a hammock.  Oh Well!  There’s always next year.

Joshua Green, a senior editor for “the Atlantic” assumed the position as lab rat for Wired Magazine, documented an interesting story that scratches at the surface of man’s quest to better himself.   Over a four week period, Joshua put his body and brain through a series of tasks to learn if cognitive improvement was possible.

WEEK TWO: More lifestyle changes. Neuroscientists say that showering with your eyes closed and brushing your teeth with your “opposite” hand can open up new neural pathways by challenging your “proprioception” – your brain’s perception of movement and spatial orientation. This morning I try closing my eyes in the shower, quickly become disoriented, and wipe out. (Get a rubber bath mat, trust me.) I also find it surprisingly hard to keep my eyes shut through an entire shower. My solution: a sleep mask. It works nicely, but I look like a naked Lone Ranger.

I finished the article on the R train to Bklyn and hurriedly made my way to the bathroom of my apartment to begin brushing my teeth with my left hand…not rocket science.  The “blind shower” did not require a bath mat.  I found that the most difficult aspect of it was trying to decipher whether or not I had squeezed enough shampoo into my hand.  I guess that’s the point.  We breeeze through our days swiping metro cards, adding milk and sugar to our coffee, and responding to emails without so much as a second thought.  But…do we really know what we are doing?  Are we truly cognitive of our actions and aware of the mechanics behind the signals given off by the neurons in our brain?

I am here to find out.  I didn’t have too many New Year resolutions, so for the next month, I am going “on assignment” to lower my brain age.  Though, I’d rather be on assignment playing 18 holes and napping in a hammock.  Oh Well!  There’s always next year.