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Researchers have
established that when people are mentally engaged, biochemical changes occur in
the brain that allow it to act more effectively in cognitive areas such as
attention and memory. This is true regardless of age.
People will be alert and receptive if they are faced with information that
gets them to think about things they are interested in. And someone with a
history of doing more rather than less will go into old age more cognitively
sound than someone who has not had an active mind.
Many
expert are so convinced of the benefits of challenging the brain that they are
putting the theory to work in their own lives." The idea is no necessarily to
learn to memorize enormous amounts of information," says James Fozard, associate
director of the National Institute on Aging." Most of us don' t need that kind
of skill. Such specific training is of less interest than being able to maintain
mental alertness." Fozard and others say they challenge their brains with
different mental skills, both because they enjoy them and because they are sure
that their range of activities will help the way their brains work.
Gene Cohen, acting director of the same institute, suggests that
people in their old age should engage in mental and physical activities
individually as well as in groups. Cohen says that we are frequently advised to
keep physically active as we age, but older people need to keep mentally active
as well. Those who do are more likely to maintain their intellectual abilities
and to be generally happier and better adjusted." The point is, you need to do
both," Cohen says," Intellectual activity actually influences brain-cell health
and size."