
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 14, 1990                   TAG: 9004140189
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DIANA E. LUNDIN LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES                                LENGTH: Medium

BRAIN BUILDERS CHALLENGE THE MIND

Marilyn vos Savant, in "Brain Building: Exercising Yourself Smarter," lists 155 brain builders, ranging from conundrums of logic and math to simple suggestions for mental calisthenics.

"The thrust of the book is to build up some self-esteem and some self-confidence so they are not always such passive receivers of information," she said. "And the second thrust is to make that painless, to make that fun."

For example:

"Brain Builder No. 66: Turn off the TV set. Unless you're totally engrossed in what you are watching, turn the set off and use the time for a project of your own. Do not waste one single precious minute of your life on mindless entertainment for its own sake; if you are not enjoying it, reclaim that time for your own use."

"Brain Builder No. 57: Do not be afraid to get lost. The fear of getting lost is very restricting, both physically and mentally. Unless you are in the rare situation where getting lost will actually be a threat to your health or safety, move around freely and explore your surroundings. If you do not trespass and you are not in a dangerous area, what could possibly happen to you? You might even consider deliberately getting lost - in controlled situations - to confront the fear and get used to dealing with it."

"Brain Builder No. 122: Use original sources. Try not to get information from secondary or `pass-along' sources. In order to avoid distortion, misinterpretation or abridgment, keep returning to original sources. If somebody keeps talking about an article he read in Scientific American, listen only for an understanding of a new perspective. Then go back and read the actual article for information. For comprehension, people are helpful, but for information, go to books."

"Brain Builder No. 45: Start tuning in to the weather. Stop listening to the weatherman. Instead of listening to your local weather announcer, pay attention to the sky, the clouds and the winds. After only a short time has passed, you will discover that you have been taking note of pertinent environmental cues of which others are totally unaware. You can learn to do the same thing with many other aspects of your surroundings, ranging from the appreciation of art and music to understanding human behavior. The key is to turn off the so-called authoritative voice . . . and pay attention instead to the inner voice coming from your own intuition."

by CNB