Never stop learning
Research shows that people with more education have a greater cognitive reserve and this works as a protection in the face of mental decline.
But there's a twist to it: educated people tend to get Alzheimer's at a later age but once they get it, they're getting it at a higher load of the disease and appear to decline at a faster rate.
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Cognitive activities like crossword puzzles, reading or playing music may delay memory decline among people who eventually developed dementia.
It happens when a person is in a situation where they are anxious that they may conform to a negative stereotype aimed at his or her social group.
Positive stereotypes, or success on previous memory tasks, can help combat this negativity.
Research shows that involving multiple senses, like the picture of a flower with a floral scent, enhances people's ability to memorize what their senses are taking in.
Research suggests that socializing may help our minds because it encourages people to take better care of themselves, reduces stress and releases beneficial neurohormones, stemming from the emotions usually caused by being with loved ones.
Splitting our attention is more problematic than productive.
We generally have a hard time refocusing when we switch attention between tasks.
This is a learning technique that uses repeated testing over increasing intervals until what you're trying to memorize finally sticks.
You test yourself a lot at first, then less and less over time.
It can reverse the shrinking of the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential to the formation of long-term memory that tends to shrink as we age.
Even just six minutes of exercise post-learning can help boost memory.
Researchers found that consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (like salmon, walnuts, and soybeans) may help counter sugar's brain drain.
RELATED IDEAS
Lifelong learners are often found browsing for books on Amazon, visiting their local library or book stores. They also ask people for book suggestions, especially for non-fiction titles that relate to their goals.
- We can improve every aspect of our lives by keeping our most vital organ, our brain, healthy.
- Exercise is not only good for your body but helps your brain by enhancing many brain structures and functions like the emotion regulating amygdala, and also the prefrontal cortex.
When you experience something ‘new’, that actually ‘stimulate’ your brain!
Don’t get stuck in a rut doing the same old things – the only way to change the structure of your brain is to do something new. This creates new neural pathways, increasing your intelligence level.
You could take a new route to work, try a new recipe for dinner, or even a new form of exercise – mix them up!