Lifting weights doesn't translate to deadlifting. That's just one exercise of many. Weights and other exercise helped me. I don't deadlift though.

Deadlifting is fun and worth trying once. You don't have to do ridiculously heavy weights to get the lower body health benefits.

I don't disagree - I do it, but rarely. I find it does seem to activate every single muscle in my body.

OC said 'the three basic exercises'

Maybe he meant something else

I meant back squat, bench press and deadlift.

Testosterone increases dopamine in a lockstep fashion - increase testosterone any way you want and you'll increase dopamine level too. Dopamine, on its own, increases the desire for exploration.

Testosterone is also linked to improved logical thinking, you wouldn't believe.

I also mentioned walking. Walking increases serum level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF. Serum level of BDNF i positively associated with the volume and density of hippocampus, which is responsible for the ability and quality of learning.

Basically, you need to walk (jog, run, bike, swim, row - whatever suits you) as much as you can to be able to learn as good as you can and you also need to lift heavy to increase testosterone. You need to lift heavy to balance catabolic processes induced by endurance exercise and to make yourself seek something new.

As a nice side effect, you will look and feel great. ;)

Please do.

Deadlift does not generally activate or train muscles that you can use to move your ears. All other muscles will be used in deadlift.

It is single most taxing exercise. Even squats are less taxing: you can perform barbell squat without using hands [1], you cannot do deadlift like that.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg8D90wUvAo