Boost the power of your brain with lots of sex and chocolate!

According to a newly published book enjoying some of the good things in life is the way to enhance your brain power.

It seems the way to improving that old grey matter is to eat dark chocolate, enjoy plenty of sex, and eat cold meats and fish for breakfast.

The authors say say their advice is based on leading scientific research from around the world and such habits will boost the brain power.

Co-authors cognitive psychologist Terry Horne and biochemist Simon Wootton have penned "Teach Yourself: Training Your Brain" and they say lifestyle choices are critical for keeping people in tip-top mental condition.

The authors suggest that the brain resembles a chemical factory rather than a computer and lifestyle helps to create optimum chemical conditions in the brain.

The authors argue that careful lifestyle choices can create extra cognitive capacity and dispute the theory that a decline in cognitive ability is inevitable from the age of 17 onwards.

They present an interesting list of recommendations and say people can be pro-active in keeping their brains agile.

Much of what they advise is just common sense such as avoiding stress, excessive alcohol and smoking cannabis, but the authors also urge people to avoid watching soap operas and resist becoming involved with 'whingeing, whining, moaning and cynical sorts of people'.

Horne emphasises the importance of happiness, confidence and an optimistic nature in the search for mental solidity.

They say dark chocolate is good because it contains many of the chemicals present when the brain is thinking well, it relaxes the muscles around the blood vessels and improves the flow of blood to the brain.

Sex they recommend because in four of the seven stages the same chemicals that help with the thinking process is in action in the brain.