Most of us are constantly looking for ways to boost our brainpower, especially if we're in or nearing retirement.  Thankfully, several foods we eat are not only delightful to the palate, they boast properties that aid in cognitive function and enhance memory.  While there's a plethora we could name, I'd like to focus in this post on one treat in particular many of us -- no matter our age -- can't seem to get enough of: Chocolate!  Made from the seed of the cocoa tree, dark chocolate is one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet. It is rich in iron, fiber, copper, magnesium, and manganese, plus other minerals advantageous to your brain health. A few years back, a research team at Harvard studied the effects of cocoa -- in particular, flavanol, a natural compound in cocoa beans -- in 60 people ranging from 67 to 77 years of age. They were instructed to drink hot cocoa twice a day for an entire month. As it turns out, the chocolate appeared to boost the brain...

Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Jung (1875-1961) once said, "Thinking is difficult, that's why most people judge." I think Jung hit this one out of the park. People, in general, are lazy thinkers. They try to minimize their thinking as much as possible, thus the reason my social psychology professor in college once told my class that human beings are "cognitive misers." I think this explains in part why people have become so reliant on reality television -- or, more broadly, TV in general -- for entertainment. In this era of Netflix and streaming content, the last thing most people are thinking about is reading Shakespeare for leisure. Technology, moreover, seems to be exacerbating the problem. The easier things become, the less inclined we are to think critically to arrive at solutions to problems. And why don't people want to think? Because it's difficult, taxing, strenuous. Most people wish to spend as little brainpower as poss...