These three key factors can not only keep your brain healthy, but improve your brain as time goes by. What are they?Photo: Getty Images
As we get older, our brain, like the rest of our body seems to deteriorate unless we take steps to stop and attempt to reverse that process. Have you noticed your memory getting weaker? You may need to write things down, miss appointments, or have trouble watching TV without straining to understand the dialogue or action. According to a recent study, there are three factors that contribute to good brain health!
These factors are:
- Physical exercise.
- Being social.
- Having strong interests. Learn new things and don’t hold back from new challenges.
(Below is courtesy of scitechdaily.com)
1. Motion
This is probably the biggest challenge for many of us. Your body gets lazy if you sit on your bum too much. Unfortunately, the same is true for the brain too. "An active lifestyle helps to develop the central nervous system and to counteract the aging of the brain,” according to the study. So it’s important not to get stuck in your chair. This requires effort, and there’s no way around it. If you have a sedentary job, go to school or when you’re done work, you need to activate yourself, including physically.
2. Relationships
Some of us are happiest alone or with just a few people, and we know that “hell is other people” – if we translate writer-philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre’s phrase a little loosely. (Although his version was admittedly somewhat more involved.) But in this regard, you have to steel yourself. “Relationships with other people, and interacting with them, contribute to a number of complex biological factors that can prevent the brain from slowing down. Being with other people, such as through conversation or physical contact, supports good brain function.
3. Passion
This last point may have something to do with your personality, but if you’ve read this far, chances are good that you already have the necessary foundation and are probably willing to learn. “Passion, or having a strong interest in something, can be the decisive, driving factor that leads us to learn new things. Over time, this impacts the development and maintenance of our neural networks."
“Brain development is closely linked to lifestyle. Physical exercise, relationships, and passion help to develop and maintain the basic structures of our brain as we get older,” the study says. These three factors thus offer some of the keys to maintaining a good quality of life – and hopefully – aging well.