Couting Frames Boost Brain Cells

Cause your brain signals to speed up and make calculations faster and with fewer errors. According to new research, exercise with an old-fashioned counting frame makes your brain more efficient.

Close your eyes and imagine an abacus. Then calculate 243 x 177. The method is well-known in several Asian nations, where many children practice it at school. In a Chinese study from 2017, a group of scientists researched how abacus practice affects children's brains and calculation skills.

The scientists compared 72 children who had been practicing, with 72 kids who had not. The kids who had practiced proved to not only make fewer errors – they were also substantially faster at producing answers than the other children.

When the scientists scanned the children’s brains, they could also see important differences. They looked at areas of the occipital lobe that have to do with numeracy, and they were able to make out that the trained kids’ brain cells were more efficient at communicating with each other.