How to Become Smarter (46 page)

In conclusion, my experience suggests that the above techniques make temporary solitude more comfortable. This information is unlikely to make you antisocial or to lead you to a personality disorder. Rather, these techniques can help you to become a more flexible and versatile person, who can be comfortable both alone and in the company of other people.

• Solitude is a state of social isolation, which can be voluntary and comfortable and therefore is not the same as loneliness.
  
• Temporary solitude, if it is comfortable, will allow a person to be more selective in relationships and social contacts. Comfortable solitude also facilitates performance of certain tasks such as studying or writing.
  
• There are methods that make temporary solitude comfortable: {1} either daily hydrotherapy or the creativity regimen from Chapter Four (you don’t have to use it all the time); {2} television, TV series on DVD, internet chat, and message boards; {3} avoiding silence, that is, always playing music or radio in the background; {4} scheduling social activities every now and then; and {5} writing in a diary.
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We saw in Chapter Three that the diet of fruits and vegetables induces symptoms of ADHD such as hyperactivity and distractibility. This approach appears to result in a sharp wit and unusual talkativeness, especially when you combine it with adapted cold showers. This will be useful for professional entertainers or other people who wish to entertain a group of people on some occasion. Among any other diets described in this book, the fruit-and-vegetable diet (
fifth section
of Chapter Three and
Appendix II
) results in the fastest information processing speed and the sharpest wit. This diet also activates imagination. Why does this diet produce a sharp wit? Perhaps because this diet is similar to the ancestral diet of primates, since some species of primates live on a similar vegan diet (frugivores) [
44
,
45
]. For example, gorillas, our second closest genetic relatives after chimps [
138
], are vegetarians by nature, although they will eat meat in captivity. It is possible that the human brain is well adapted to the low-protein vegan diet, such as the fruit-and-vegetable diet, and will function at the highest speed when nourished this way. This speed, however, comes at a price: the fruit-and-vegetable diet reduces stress-resistance (psychological resilience) and worsens attention control and self-control (increases impulsivity and procrastination). It can also increase sensitivity to cold. The fruit-and-vegetable diet improves mental clarity, and theoretical evidence suggests that this diet may be useful as a non-sedating neuroleptic treatment.
^F

On the other hand, the closest genetic relatives of humans, chimpanzees [
138
], consume animal food in addition to plant food, i.e. they are omnivores. The weight of evidence suggests that humans too are omnivores by nature [
44
-
46
]. The fruit-and-vegetable diet contains almost no protein and no fat and therefore it is an unbalanced diet. In my experience, this diet leads to a loss of work capacity and to inability to perform most types of difficult work. If you stay on this diet for 4 days or longer, it can cause a loss of interest in many activities. My experience suggests that this diet can cause muscle cramps, in which case, reducing consumption of fruit is helpful. Finally, this diet is unsafe for diabetic patients.

As for the practical aspects of the proposed regimen, the details are as follows. You can use adapted cold showers every morning or even twice a day (morning and afternoon) if they do not cause insomnia. We saw in Chapter Two that brief moderate cooling has stimulant effects on the central nervous system and can accelerate thinking. One study shows that brief cooling improves performance of complex mental tasks [
362
], which may have to do with improvements in fluid intelligence, working memory, or both. Thus, moderately cold hydrotherapy will make your mind quicker and sharper. My advice is to avoid sudden cold showers because they cause a slowing and temporary confusion. We reviewed possible side effects of cold hydrotherapy
at the end
of Chapter Two.

The fruit-and-vegetable diet is not convenient and not filling, but the benefits can be worth the costs. The amount of food consumed increases 2-fold or more [
505
]. You may still feel like your stomach is empty, though you will not feel hungry. You can cook up to 90% of fruits and vegetables at a moderate temperature; this makes little or no difference. You can consume simple soups, raw and pasteurized juices (free of additives), simple salads, or plain raw fruits and vegetables. Although it is tempting to eat only fruit and to avoid vegetables, my advice is to consume no more than 30% of fruit. Fruit can raise blood sugar and this may pose a problem for diabetic and prediabetic patients (who should consult with their doctor before trying this diet). You can read more about possible side effects in
Chapter One
and in
Appendix II
.

This diet should exclude all artificial ingredients, seasonings, salad dressings, dietary supplements, herbal extracts, and so on. It is also desirable to exclude all spices and pungent vegetables (the end of Chapter Four) and starchy fruits and vegetables (legumes, bananas, and others). The latter will increase the amount of gas in the digestive tract in the context of this diet. You can eat fruits and vegetables that are genetically modified or not organic: this makes no difference. Don’t eat large amounts of foods made of white flour (noodles, pasta, white bread, pastry) immediately before and after you embark on the fruit-and-vegetable diet. This may cause vomiting or diarrhea, based on my experience (whole grains are OK).

In reality, following a strict diet such as the one above may be unfeasible, especially in social situations. You can use partial compliance with the fruit-and-vegetable diet, such that the amount of “disallowed” food does not exceed 2-5% of the diet. To reduce your consumption of the “disallowed” food you can employ food restriction techniques from
Chapter One
. After you achieve the desired benefits with a 100% strict diet, partial compliance with the fruit-and-vegetable diet is almost as effective for maintenance as 100% compliance.

It seems sufficient to use the fruit-and-vegetable diet for about 36 hours in order to sharpen the wit. Three days will be more effective if you can stay on the diet this long. Although this approach will enable you to crack jokes and make other people laugh, it will also make it all but impossible for others to make
you
laugh. In other words, most types of comedy that you previously thought were funny will now seem silly and unfunny. This is probably because the sense of humor becomes more refined. The reduced amount of laughter does not mean that you will become unhappy, in fact, you may feel and look happier than usual. Note that comedians seldom laugh at their own jokes. Although I am not a professional comedian, I find making other people laugh more pleasant than laughing myself. The above changes do not mean that the sense of humor will disappear. It is possible that the person with a more refined sense of humor will appreciate truly witty and funny comedy more than others can. For example, although it is virtually impossible to make me laugh, I can’t help laughing when I watch “Seinfeld” or Jay Leno.

This method also improves the ability to maintain conversation and you may find it easy to talk to anyone for many hours without awkward pauses and without getting bored. The above technique in my view is the best way to become a sophisticated conversationalist. Nevertheless, I know many people who believe that they must constantly talk in order to show other people that they are happy and that their life is interesting. Some people believe that the faster you speak the smarter you are. My advice is to act naturally and to not be afraid of silence and comfortable pauses. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t feel that you must keep talking in any situation, except when your job requires it. When a person feels compelled to keep talking, this is what psychiatrists call “pressured speech.”

If you are wondering what kind of a diet can make you a boring person and blunt your wit, my answer is the diet that consists of cooked grains only. We talked about this diet in Chapter Two, and just to remind you, it consists of boiled or steamed whole grains and is useful as a mild sedative and a sleeping aid. It is a healthy diet; it does not impair judgment, and it can make you calm and taciturn, when necessary. A hot environment (Chapter Two) has a similar calming effect.

I have not used the fruit-and-vegetable diet in a long time and when I do nowadays, the duration of the diet is usually not longer than one or two meals. This is because I do not enjoy increased impulsiveness. During my first year as a biology student at NSU in 1994-1995, I used the fruit-and-vegetable diet often and had my classmates in stitches on many occasions. Some of them were wondering why I was so witty and I am telling you “the secret” now. Most of my jokes are one-liners and would not be funny out of context, thus I cannot give you any concrete examples.

The antidepressant diet can also sharpen your wit, but it is not as effective as the fruit-and-vegetable diet. In conclusion, the combination of cold hydrotherapy with the fruit-and-vegetable diet can make you a less boring person and can help you to entertain other people. Keep in mind though, that this approach increases impulsivity and reduces capacity for work.

• A diet that consists of fruits and vegetables only induces symptoms of ADHD, such as hyperactivity and distractibility.
  
• This approach can result in a sharp wit and unusual talkativeness, especially when combined with cold hydrotherapy.
  
• This approach makes it easy to entertain large groups of people, but will reduce work capacity.
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The previous section describes a regimen that increases impulsivity, and this section describes a protocol for achieving a low level of impulsivity. The procedure that follows has a depressant effect on the central nervous system and can lower mood. Therefore, it is not appropriate for patients with clinical depression or for people who feel depressed (even if they do not have an official diagnosis). One of the situations where a person needs low impulsivity is when she has to make an important, life-changing decision and has to weigh all the pros and cons.

Impulsivity correlates with overactivity and these behavioral characteristics may share a common cause [
506
]. Therefore, it makes sense to use treatments that reduce activity, i.e. slow you down, in order to reduce impulsiveness. Sedative treatments such as the depressant diet and a hot environment can reduce impulsivity in healthy people, based on my personal experience. (I do not know if this works in ADHD patients.)

We saw in Chapter Three that high-protein diets should reduce impulsivity due to their effects on the dopamine system in the brain. Accordingly, a high-protein diet that contains sedative foods, such as boiled grains, may further reduce activity and impulsivity. The depressant diet from
Chapter Four
satisfies these criteria. Heat slows down mental processes and a hot environment is helpful for reducing impulsivity. Thus, the “minimal impulsivity protocol” consists of a combination of two physical treatments: the depressant diet and a hot environment.

The depressant diet based on whole-grain bread instead of boiled grains is more effective against impulsiveness. In general, regular consumption of boiled whole grains is crucial for low impulsivity (and financial security). In my experience, boiled grains are not enough and I need to eat bread occasionally, once a week or twice a month, in order to keep impulses in check. Whole-grain bread is a strong sedative and will bring you back down to earth when you are overcome with an unwise desire. Eat bread alone, without water, milk, sandwich spread, mayo, and other stuff. It is easy to overeat bread if you consume it with liquids, thus you need to eat it alone and chew thoroughly. You can drink water or low-fat milk after you have swallowed bread.

You can replace the depressant diet with the antidepressant diet (which is a high-protein diet) plus cooked grains. The latter approach reduces impulsivity based on my experience, but it does not lower mood and can be useful when mood is low or depressed. Keep in mind that cooked grains tend to promote boredom, and therefore you need to be careful with this food when mood is depressed (it’s a delicate balance). If you become bored, you can replace cooked grains with boiled potatoes for a day or two.

Chapters
Two
and
Four
(and
Appendix II
) discuss possible side effects and how to use the above-mentioned physical treatments. In addition, there are psychological approaches that can reduce impulsiveness, as described below.

Note that adapted cold showers increase impulsivity, and therefore you should avoid them when you need strong impulse control. A hot shower or a hot bath can reduce impulsivity for several hours, but can produce the opposite effect afterwards. A hot environment, for instance, at 29°C (84°F), is more effective because it does not cause swings of the activity level. If I take a hot bath and follow this by the hot environment approach, then the rebound of the activity level does not occur either. The combination of moderately hot hydrotherapy with a hot environment causes lethargy [
820
], and therefore you need to be extra careful. This is because you are not letting your body cool off after hot hydrotherapy and this increases the risk of heat-related illnesses [
654
,
655
].