I’m planning to watch this tonight.
Can exercise sharpen the brightest minds? In this ground-breaking experiment four world-class gamers, competing in Esports, Chess, Mahjong and Memory Games, put this to the test.
https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Games-Experiment-Ben-Addelman/dp/B0B755JYNX/
Here’s a trailer:
And a blog post:
Thank you for the info. Will be watching tonight. let’s keep memorizing. 
I watched it late last night. It was very interesting to see Ben’s progress and also the other contestants’ stories.
I was at the filming in the London MSO too, I was really pleased they included my successful deck memorization in the final edit 
It seems like exercise is good for cognitive performance. 
Participants’ international gaming rankings improved by an incredible 75% proving, yet again, the close interplay between our mind and body. The mind gamers’ cognitive function was boosted on average by 10%, with problem solving abilities improving by 9%, short-term memory increasing by 12% and processing speed and alertness improving by 10%. Group confidence levels increased by 44%, concentration improved by 33% and anxiety levels plummeted by 43%. The research shows exercise can be as effective at boosting brain function as learning a second language, daily reading, playing a new musical instrument or completing a puzzle every day.
Seen here.
that’s so interesting!
I have been weightlifting seriously for about 8 years, but my memory is still less than average (*sad music)
I am very strong but my cardio is horrible. I suspect this makes a bigger difference.
In my personal training ive been best with a half hour cardio and a 16 hour fast.
I would suggest to do some cycling , especially if you have a big frame. At least won’t strain your knees and hips too badly
More coverage:
@EwelinaPres so… when can I get an autograph?
Anytime as long as you come to Poland :))
Honestly i’m a total kid there
I am glad that memory started to have more coverage, hopefully more people would be interested in memorising and bettering their memory!
While I definitely enjoyed this show, I was perplexed regarding why the producers framed the experiment as if there weren’t already any studies on this topic. Neuroscientists and psychologists have researched this question for decades. Here are just a few of the numerous studies:
Thus, the findings of the show were nothing new or surprising.
Anyway, I still really enjoyed watching Ben. He’s a rock star in my book!
There are 2 possibilities; the first one is that this is was created just for entertainment purposes. Probably sponsored because I doubt there is an audience big enough that might be interested in this niche experiment for it to be very profitable.
Another possibility and I don’t like to talk about this but these days it can easily be the case, is that they are trying to push the narrative that doing exercises is good for you.
Right now there is a lot of controversy around fat phobia and people on both sides of the subject are very passionate about it.
At the end of the day, I don’t think we will figure it out so let’s just enjoy this free advertisement for the memory world.
When I lost 50 pounds my energy level went up. The second most notable thing about losing weight was how much easier it was to breathe.
Energy + Oxygen = Improved Cognition?
Makes sense.
I’ve been trying fasting off and on over the past 10 years. I find I can stay focused for long periods of time after 24-36 hours without calories. I can plow through books for eight hours straight with just water and bathroom breaks.
My weight still fluctuates. I gained weight when my brother and my Mom were dying. When things ticked up, I’d set a goal to work for and share my progress on social media. I’ve been a normal weight for 10 years now. At my heaviest, I was 209 lbs. Mostly I’m between 160-165.
Both of my parents died with dementia, so I’m especially concerned about the disease. I eat quality food, meditate every day, ride my bike, walk my dogs twice a day, and go to the gym twice a week. I’ve been taking low doses of squares of magic mushroom chocolate for an improved mood. It seems to have led to my drinking less alcohol — going from wine with every dinner to drinking once or twice a week. My goal is to cut alcohol more.
Oddly, my focus on health has increased my level of sadness in seeing people around me and those I care about who are overfed and in poor health.
I work as a designer. Improving my health has greatly improved my creativity. Starting in my mid-forties, though, I found that I was getting passed over for jobs I’m qualified for. It’s a bitter pill as I’m often healthier than the people interviewing me for creative roles.
