London - If you want to boost your brain power but find crosswords a bore, why not try climbing a tree?
A study found that childish pastimes such as shinning up branches, running barefoot and crawling along a beam can dramatically boost memory.
Working memory – the type we use every day to remember phone numbers or follow directions – improved by 50 percent in people who were asked to perform such activities in tests.
It is thought to help by forcing the brain to consciously and quickly adapt to unpredictable movements, the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills reports.
Experts at the University of North Florida found that 72 people who did obstacle course-type exercises did better in memory tests than if they had taken part in yoga sessions.
Study co-author Ross Alloway said: “This research suggests that by doing activities that make us think, we can exercise our brains as well as our bodies.”
Daily Mail