HOW TO MAKE YOUR BRAIN ACTIVE

Changing sides

Be ambidextrous. Use both sides of your brain to charge up your performance.

Right first time
How: Cock your head to the left when taking notes, or make a point of addressing the right side of colleagues when passing on information, e.g. 'tea, no sugar, leave the bag in'.

Why: Specific details stick like glue in recipient's minds when addressed from the right. The right ear is controlled by the left side of the brain, which processes nonemotional info.

Use for: Delegating tasks to office subordinates.

Instant success
How: Tap the fingers of your right hand to correctly call split-second decisions.

Why: Scientists at Appalachian State University in the US found that subjects who did this for 45 seconds were less likely to make decisions they'd later regret. Right side movement-fingers or feet-prevents rush of-blood decisions by activating your brain's risk-averse left hemisphere.

Use for: Making the right decision in high pressure meetings.

Do the impossible
How: Take one minute to sit quietly and breathe deeply in through your nose, to the pit of your stomach.

Why: In Wisconsin University studies, subjects were able to increase their brain activity by 15 per cent, by enabling the right side of their brain (home of clinical thinking) to relax while sparking their forward-thinking left half. It's a simple way to hotwire your brain into a more upbeat outlook.

Use for: Finding alternative solutions mid-meeting when Plan A is shot down.

Make an impression
How: Whisper jokes or gossip into colleagues left ears.

Why: Tests at Sam Houston State University in the US found we're able to recall more than 70 per cent of "emotional" sentences told to our left ear, as opposed to only 58 per cent with our right. "The right ear is controlled by the right side of the brain, which triggers better responses to emotional appeals," says lead researcher Teow Chong Sim.

Use for: Making an instant impact with a new colleague or client by targeting your best one-liners to hit the spot.

Supersonic sense
How: At post-work drinks, to catch more conversation than you miss, lean in with your right ear.

Why: Your right ear sends messages to your brain's left hemisphere, which is best at following rapid speech rhythms. Alcohol decreases your hearing by an average of 15 decibels-the equivalent of stuffing cotton wool into your ears. And you don't want to miss the good stuff.

Use for: Extracting career boosting nuggets from your colleagues in a social setting.

Create solutions
How: "Scribble all your creative ideas down, and then walk away for 30 minutes," says Robert Bilder of the US Centre for the Study of the Biological Basis for Creativity. Return and your brain's 'utility detector' will pick the best.

Why: This activates both the creative and practical centers of your brain one after another.

Use for: Perfecting a winning pitch when the time is tight.