Having trouble focusing on a project, for instance, a budget you’re writing, a document you’re typing or a paper you’re researching? A recent study out of Washington University reveals an easy, fast solution to amping up your concentration: imagine that you’re holding the computer monitor or document in your hands. Study participants who pictured themselves touching a computer monitor in front of them found it significantly easier to zero in on a computer-based word task than when they imagined holding their hands behind their backs. Why? Our brain automatically zooms in on items that are closest to our hands—even if we only imagine where our hands are, the researchers say.
[photo: Don Hankin]
Before you fill out expense reports, draw up a budget or do other arithmetic-related tasks, nibble dark chocolate first. Its rich supply of flavanols increases blood flow to the brain, making it easier to do mentally demanding math problems. In fact, in a recent study out of the U.K.’s Northumbria University, folks did significantly better at counting backwards from 999 in threes and were less mentally exhausted by the math challenge on days when they drank a dark chocolate drink than on the days they skipped it.
Or where you laid your purse, eyeglasses or the remote control? You may have better luck finding them when you cut down on your intake of sugary foods. In a recent Georgia State University study, scientists found that a diet high in sweets impaired spatial memory—the type needed to recall where you placed items—by raising levels of triglycerides, a fat that interferes with brain signals needed to boost memory.
Want to help your children get better grades? On days they have exams, try packing a greeting card in their backpack with a message that includes the letter ”A”, as in “I know you’ll do your best to get an A!” or “You’ll always be an ‘A’ in my book!” Then, tell your kid to open the card right before she or he takes the test. In a recent series of experiments reported in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, students who saw the letter “A” before exams scored about 10% to 25% better than those who saw the letter “F”. 
Received an email from “uscourts.com” or another government-sounding address alerting you that you missed jury duty and instructing you to open an attached subpoena or risk going to jail? Don’t click on it! Doing so instantly downloads a virus onto your computer that steals your passwords and online banking data and sends it directly to the thieves who sent you the email, warns Oregon Attorney General John Kroger. Bona fide jury duty summonses—and summonses for missing it—are delivered only by U.S. mail, never by email or phone.
Don’t tell them “Boys are better than girls at math”. University of Chicago researchers discovered this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. In their study, girls who were told this statement did 10% worse than they’d previously done on a math test while girls who weren’t told this statement actually improved their score. The link? Once girls are told that boys do better at math, it triggers anxiety about the subject, which then short-circuits the brain areas they need for computing, such as short-term memory, the researchers conclude.
To develop the best language skills, children need to hear at least 30,000 words a day from birth to age three from their parents and caregivers—not TV or videos, reveals a recent Power of Talk study. Think you’ll have trouble fitting all that in? Believe it or not, it’s really just the equivalent of 18 and a half readings of Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat. But, don’t stop there! Parents of children who scored between the 90th to 99th percentile on language assessment tests spoke substantially more to their kids than did parents of children who were not as advanced.
It worked for hundreds of Cornell University students in a recent experiment. Those who chewed gum prior to and during test-taking scored, on average, 30 points better than those who didn’t chew. Shocked? So were the students! Upon announcing the findings, “you could literally hear a gasp from the class,” says Edward McLaughlin, Ph.D., who conducted the study. So, was it a special ingredient in the gum? Nope—past studies show that the simple act of chewing gum eases anxiety, increases your focus and makes it easier to recall information.
False! Research shows we use virtually every part of our brain. If you got it wrong, don’t feel bad—a study out of Indiana University School of Medicine reveals that even doctors believe long-held medical urban myths, including… 
If you can’t recall little details—like the words to a song, an item you need from the store or what you ate for lunch yesterday—it means your brain is actually working better, not worse, say Stanford University researchers. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they found that forgetting unimportant details makes room in your brain for more important memories—like key dates, instructions from your boss and your wedding day.
Are there some tasks that you do so automatically you often forget whether or not you’ve actually done it that day—for instance, taking a daily medication, feeding the dog or turning off the oven? You’ll be able to remember more easily when you pat your head, spin around, jump in the air, knock three times on the counter or do another out-of-the-ordinary act as you do the task, according to a new study out of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Doing an unusual physical movement shakes us out of our auto-pilot mode, helping us pay more attention to what we’re doing, explains lead study author Mark McDaniel, Ph.D.