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Good Conversation Can Boost Brain Power, Study Finds

Thu Nov 4, 11:47 pm ET

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Friendly discussions with other people

can help you solve common life challenges, but conversations that are

competitive in tone aren't helpful, finds a new study.

"This study shows that simply talking to other people, the way you do when

you're making friends, can provide mental benefits," lead author Oscar Ybarra,

a psychologist and researcher at the Institute for Social Research at the

University of Michigan, said in a university news release.

In this study of 192 undergraduates, the researchers examined the effect that

brief episodes of social contact had on a type of cognition called executive

function, which includes working memory, self-monitoring, and the ability to

suppress external and internal distractions. These mental processes are

essential in dealing with day-to-day problems.

Engaging in a short, 10-minute conversation in which they got to know another

person helped boost the participants' performance on a variety of cognitive

tasks. But when the conversations had a competitive tone, the participants

showed no improvement on the cognitive tasks.

The study will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Social

Psychological and Personality Science.

"We believe that performance boosts come about because some social interactions

induce people to try to read others' minds and take their perspectives on

things," Ybarra said. "And we also find that when we structure even competitive

interactions to have an element of taking the other person's perspective, or

trying to put yourself in the other person's shoes, there is a boost in

executive functioning as a result."

The findings suggest that having a friendly talk with a colleague before a big

test or presentation may prove beneficial, according to the researchers.

More information

The U.S. National Center for Learning Disabilities has more about executive

function.