Mental Exercises

Welcome to Week 16! Let's play a game

Presentations

Lesson Links

Why is it Important to Challenge Your Brain?

Just as normal daily physical movements are not sufficient to keep our bodies fit, neither are normal daily cognitive tasks sufficient to keep our brains fit. For our brains, we need targeted, challenging tasks that will keep them working and constantly improving.

Routines & Cognitive Fitness

As older adults, we know a lot, thanks to our long experience in life, and much of what we know has become habit or routine. As we gain experience, even highly complex intellectual activities may become routine. Routines are good in a sense, as they make things easier to do. But routine tasks lose their ability to challenge our brains adequately. When all we do is routine tasks, we lose the ability to keep our brains in top shape.

Our brains are basically lazy! When we face a problem, the brain does one of two things: 1) It analyzes the situation, any alternative actions that are available, and the consequences of each alternative. This type of thinking requires significant attention, time, and effort or 2) It goes with what it already knows, resulting in a quick, automatic response that requires very little time and effort.

Not surprisingly, our brains usually prefer the second option--the automatic mode. This is why we need to make a conscious choice to deliberately exercise our brain on a daily basis.

Three Principles for Challenging the Brain

Engaging daily in activities that are novel, offer variety, and challenge your brain are the things that brain fitness is made of! George Rebok, professor at Johns Hopkins University, said, “Even a modest investment in cognitive training pays dividends up to a decade later. And you can impact everyday functions” (Gustke, 2016).

How Learning Changes Your Brain

There is tremendous variability in how well people age. It is known that our choices, actions, and lifestyle can influence the rate of brain improvement or cognitive decline we may experience. It follows that individuals who lead mentally stimulating lives, through their level of educational achievement, their current involvement in education, jobs, volunteer work, stimulating hobbies, etc., can build a stronger cognitive reserve. The earlier we begin building our cognitive reserve (or brain bank account), the better off we will be in older age. A strong cognitive reserve is thought to help prevent the manifestation of dementia, even if the pathology (disease) is present in our brains. It is never too late to build or add to our cognitive reserve. That is one of the underlying principles of lifelong learning.

Reading

Reading is a pleasurable activity for many people. It is also beneficial to brain health, as reading activates the language-processing areas of the brain and tends to create structure as the reader processes the sequence of the information or events in the material being read. Reading can also stimulate the emotional centers of the brain, as well as other senses. For example, if you read about food, your sensory cortex is stimulated; if you read about motion, your motor cortex is stimulated. Reading can make the brain come alive with visual imagery, which draws on most of the same neural machinery as visual perception (Ganis, Thompson, & Kosslyn, 2004).

A benefit of reading is to help us feel empathy for other people. Just by reading about characters in a story, we learn to feel what they are feeling as the story progresses. Research has found that when you read about someone else’s experience, the same neurological regions of the brain are stimulated as if you had experienced it yourself (Beaton, 2015).

Another advantage if you can read in a foreign language —it can grow the hippocampus and cerebral cortex in your brain. So try reading in a different language occasionally to stimulate your brain.

Another benefit of reading is that readers are likely to be less depressed. A survey of 4,164 adults in the U.K. showed that adults who read for just 20 minutes a week were 20% more likely to feel satisfied with their lives, whereas non-readers were 28% more likely to report feelings of depression. Joe Billington, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the Centre for Research into Reading, University of Liverpool, explained, “Reading not only helps to introduce or reconnect readers to wider life systems and more broadly shared meanings. It can also remind people of activities or occupations they once pursued, or knowledge and skills they still possess, helping to restore their sense of having a place and purpose in the world” (Hallett, 2016).

Perhaps best of all, a study by Yale University found that reading books was positively correlated with increased lifespan. They found that people who read books lived for around two years longer than those who didn’t (Hallett, 2016). That alone should make you want to pick up a book! And if you’re a book lover, you may have two additional years to enjoy reading! To be clear, the study pointed out that it is not clear why there is such a strong association between reading and longevity, though other studies have yielded the same results. It could be that people who read books tend to be healthier, richer, and better educated, all of which could contribute to a longer life (Hallett, 2016).

A research study published in 2017 compared brain scans of illiterate women before and after learning to read. The women, all 30, and all from villages in northern India, were taught to read. The results were significant. Changes were observed in the deep structures of the women’s brains--areas that were previously thought to be inflexible, including the thalamus and brain stem. Information exchange between the thalamus and cortices became more efficient after learning to read (Pultarova, 2017).

What we Read

Does reading different material provide different benefits for the brain? Stanford University researchers say yes. Reading for pleasure increases blood flow to different areas of the brain, while reading for literary study gives your brain a workout across multiple complex cognitive functions (Beaton, 2015). But University of Pennsylvania research warns that reading literary fiction fails to boost cognition or social ability (ScienceDaily, 2016b). Further, researchers found that though people who read books show stronger cognitive abilities overall, reading magazines or newspapers doesn’t seem to have the same effect, unless readers spend seven hours or more per week doing that (Hallett, 2016).

So, you can decide for yourself. If you love to read, keep reading. If you are a fiction or magazine lover, try reading an occasional book for literary study, as this may be a more effective brain exercise than simply pleasure reading alone. But don’t give up on your pleasure reading—this is very rewarding to your brain!

Language

How many languages can you speak?

What does research say about people who speak two or more languages (multilinguals)? The experience of speaking another language changes the structure of the brain and how it functions (ScienceDaily, 2016). Researchers found that the left inferior parietal cortex is larger in multilingual brains than in monolingual brains (Michelon, 2008). This ability fine-tunes the auditory nervous system that helps juggle linguistic input (Leopold, 2012), and helps the multilingual person process information more efficiently and easily than someone who speaks only one language (Deardorff, 2014). Multilinguals possess enhanced attention and concentration abilities (ScienceDaily, 2016) and are twice as likely to have normal cognitive function after a stroke (American Heart Association, 2015).

Research from the University of Montreal showed that multilingual people became expert at selecting relevant information and ignoring other things that could distract them from a task. They had higher connectivity between the visual processing areas located at the back of their brains. Additionally, their brains were more efficient and economical, as they recruited fewer regions to perform a task.

This research suggested that multilinguals have two cognitive benefits: 1) More centralized and specialized functional connections, which save resources, compared to the multiple and more diverse brain areas allocated by monolinguals to accomplish the same task, and 2) The ability to achieve the same task by not using the brain’s frontal regions, which are vulnerable to aging. This may explain why multilinguals seem to be better equipped to stave off cognitive aging or dementia (ScienceDaily, 2017).

So many advantages!

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published a study in 2015 that look at English-speaking students who were about to begin learning Mandarin. It was found that the students who had more spatially aligned neuron fibers (white matter) in their right brain hemisphere had higher test scores after four weeks of classes. The researchers compared this finding about white matter to a freeway express lane, hypothesizing that highly aligned fibers may speed the transfer of information within the brain. This study suggests that the ease with which a person can learn a new language might be influenced by “brain wiring” (Greenwood, 2017).

It's not too late to learn a new language!

Humor

Humor activates many areas of the brain, including regions associated with reward and emotion like the substantia nigra, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and insular cortex. It engages the lower level sensory areas and regions in the frontal cortex associated with attention and executive function. It activates the ventral tegmentum and the ventral striatum, as well as regions associated with emotion, such as the amygdala and insular cortex (Watson, Matthews, & Allman, 2007).

In order to “get” a joke (understand it), the brain must process the incongruities or conflicts presented in the joke to understand what they mean (Watson, Matthews, & Allman, 2007). To illustrate, look at this pun: “I was struggling to figure out how lightening works, and then it struck me.” Puns are words or phrases that have multiple, ambiguous meanings. So, when you hear a pun, your brain needs to consider the context of the pun in order to interpret the words—this is a left hemisphere function in the brain. At the same time, your right hemisphere clues the brain in to the unanticipated meaning of the pun. So both sides of the brain have to engage in teamwork! (Romm, 2016)

And what brain does not like a good joke?

For a little humor and laughter, watch this video clip (Note: Do not try this at home! )

Another funny video (5:09 min) featuring Mark Gungor: Men’s brains and Women’s brains. Prepare to laugh!

Music

Listening to Music

Just listening to music can bring back certain memories, put us in a relaxing mood, motivate us to exercise or perform a certain task, or just make us happy. Importantly, research says listening to music also tends to reduce a person’s blood pressure. Of course, it must be music that one enjoys! Research has also found that music can enhance the growth of preemies (babies that are born prematurely), enhance a person’s learning of vocabulary, and activate multiple areas of the brain.

If you are a person who listens to and appreciates music, but would like to step up your game and challenge your brain, try listening to it more carefully. Get into the details of the music and try to discern which instruments are playing and when. Test yourself after hearing a piece of music to see how much detail you can remember about it. Being aware at this higher level helps workout your brain’s attention, focus, and memory.

Musical Training

More than just listening to music, actually participating in training on a musical instrument has been found to have a profound impact on several brain regions, including speech and language, and memory and attention. The speech and language areas are improved with music training because it tones the brain for auditory fitness, enhances a person’s vocabulary, and helps with speech comprehension in a noisy background.

Learning to play music enhances a person’s neuroplasticity in a positive way—it can even add new neural connections. Music training has been found to help children with learning disabilities be able to read better, and has even been found to prime the brain for other forms of human communication, including the ability to convey emotions. Musical performance exercises reading, listening, fine and high-speed manual control, oral skills, and engages the emotion center of the brain.

What instrument(s) do you play?

So if you would like to challenge your brain at a higher level, learn to play a musical instrument. If you already play an instrument, consider updating your skills or improving them to reach a higher skill level. Perhaps you used to play an instrument when you were younger—you can revisit and revamp those forgotten skills.

Research

Researchers Gaser and Schlaug (2003) compared levels of musicality in people. They observed several brain areas involved in playing music: motor regions, anterior superior parietal areas, and inferior temporal areas. Here is what they discovered:

Professional/Intermediate Musicians: Those who practice at least one hour per day have the highest volume of gray matter in the brain (cerebral cortex).
Non-Musicians: Those who don’t practice have the lowest volume of gray matter.

Watch this fun Ted Ed video (4:44 min): “How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain."

Dance

Now, how does that step go?

Lifelong Learning

Adult education. Taking classes in any subject can boost your mental and physical health (SharpBrains, 2016). You are currently enrolled in a Brain Fitness class—a San Diego Continuing Education course designed especially for older adults. This is a wonderful way to challenge your brain on a regular basis, especially with the added component of brain training exercises.

OLLI. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, operated locally by San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies, is a learning community for adults 50+. It offers intellectually stimulating, university-quality courses. Membership in the local organization (one of 119 Institutes) requires registration and course fees, but offers many benefits like discounts to local venues and privileges to use academic and cultural resources on the SDSU campus.

Oasis. Oasis is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to promote healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles, and volunteer engagement. Their new venue at Grossmont Mall consists of two centers—a Wellness Center, which hosts exercise, dance, and mind-body classes, and a Lifelong Learning Center, where educational classes are held. Registration is required and fees are charged for some courses, though some are free.

Brain Fitness/BrainHQ. These brain training programs by Posit Science are excellent at providing targeted training that stimulates your brain processes and increases cognitive sharpness.

Hobbies

Other Activities for Good Brain Health

We’ve talked about how reading, learning a new language, using humor, learning music, and dancing can contribute to keeping your brain fit. Below we briefly list a few more ideas that can also help:

BrainHQ Connection

What is the difference between brain training and brain games? Brain games can be fun to play like Suduko, crossword puzzles, word or math problems. However brain training requires more effort much like lifting weights at a gym. And not all brain training are created equal. Some brain games are fun to play, but they do not provide the positive effects on mental health nor memory. For example, do the exercises prove to improve your performance and memory in real life? Are the brain exercises designed and evaluated by scientists? And are clinical evidence evaluated by experts outside the company?

In addition to mental exercises, you may want to look over Science Posit's list of Everyday Brain Fitness activities to include in your daily routine and change it up.

Conclusion

We have learned about the importance of keeping our brains challenged in order to keep them healthy—in essence, to use our brains, so we don’t lose them. The key to brain change is close, serious, highly attentive engagement at a level on which you are continuously challenging yourself. There are so many ways to accomplish that. We have reviewed many of those in this lesson. Your goal should be to challenge yourself to keep learning for the rest of your life. And remember, whatever you learn should be:

Something new, novel, or surprising
Challenging
Progressive
Engaging your brain processing systems
Rewarding

The best brain food is mental stimulation!

An interesting video (4:22 min) “Aging 101: Pt. 10—Lifelong Learning" for a review of the importance of lifelong learning for brain health.

Works Cited

American Heart Association. (2015). Speaking multiple languages linked to better cognitive functions after stroke. Retrieved from: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/speaking-multiple-languages-linked-to-better-cognitive-functions-after-stroke

Beaton, P. (March 3, 2015). What happens to your brain when you read more? Expertrain. [Website]. Retrieved from: https://www.expertrain.com/blog/happiness/how-does-reading-affect-your-brain.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Take a Stand on Falls. [Website]. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/features/older-adult-falls/index.html

Deardorff, J. (November 7, 2014). Bilingual brains better equipped to process information. Northwestern Now. Northwestern University. [Website].

Retrieved from: https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2014/11/bilingual-brains-better-equipped-to-process-information

Edwards, S. (n.d.). Dancing and the brain. Harvard Medical School: Department of Neurobiology. [Website]. Retrieved from: http://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/brain-newsletter/and-brain-series/dancing-and-brain

Gannis, G., Thompson, W. L., & Kosslyn, S. M. (2004). Brain areas underlying visual mental imagery and visual perception: An fMRI study. [Abstract]. NCBI; US National Library of Medicine; National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15183394

Gaser & Schlaug (2003) compared levels of musicality in people.

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/02/26/brain-plasticity-how-learning-changes-your-brain/

Greenwood, V. (January 1, 2017). Some people’s brains are wired for languages. Scientific American. [Online magazine]. Retrieved from: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/some-people-rsquo-s-brains-are-wired-for-languages/

Gustke, C. (July 9, 2016). For effective brain fitness, do more than play simple games. The New York Times, Personal Business Section. [Article].

Hallett, R. (October 12, 2016). Want to live longer? Read a book. World Economic Forum. [Online article]. Retrieved from: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/want-to-live-longer-read-a-book/

Hanna, J. (January 22, 2016). What educators and parents should know about neuroplasticity, learning, and dance? SharpBrains. [Online article]. Retrieved from: https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2016/01/22/what-educators-and-parents-should-know-about-neuroplasticity-learning-and-dance/

Kahn, L. (2013). I dare me: How I rebooted and recharged my life by doing something new every day. New York, NY: Perigree.

Leopold, W. (April 30, 2012). Bilingualism fine-tunes hearing, enhances attention. Northwestern Now. Northwestern University. [Website].

Retrieved from: https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2012/04/kraus-bilingualism-music

McArdle, M. (June 21, 2018). Charles Krauthammer dies at 68. National Review. Retrieved from: https://www.nationalreview.com/news/charles-krauthammer-dies-conservative-commentator-pulitzer-prize-winner/

Mercola, J. (2018). Chess grandmasters enjoy same longevity advantage as elite athletes. Peak Fitness. [Online article]. Retrieved from: https://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2018/06/15/chess-grandmasters-longevity.aspx

Michelon, P. (February 26, 2008). Brain plasticity: How learning changes your brain. SharpBrains. [Online article]. Retrieved from: https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/02/26/brain-plasticity-how-learning-changes-your-brain/

Pultarova, T. (June 1, 2017). How learning to read rewrites the brain. Live Science. [Online magazine]. Retrieved from: https://www.livescience.com/59335-adults-who-learn-to-read-show-profound-brain-plasticity.html

Romm, C. (December 6, 2016). Here’s what happens in your brain when you hear a pun. The Cut. [Online Magazine]. Retrieved from: https://www.thecut.com/2016/12/heres-what-happens-in-your-brain-when-you-hear-a-pun.html

ScienceDaily. (2016). Bilinguals have an improved attentional control, study suggests. University of Birmingham. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160909112256.htm

ScienceDaily. (2016b). Failed replication shows literary fiction doesn’t boost social cognition. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161004140502.htm

ScienceDaily. (2016c). How the performing arts can set the stage for more developed brain pathways. Concordia University. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161005112119.htm

ScienceDaily. (2017). Bilingualism may save brain resources as you age. University of Montreal. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170109092604.htm

SharpBrains. (September 29, 2016). Study: Adult education classes, in any subject, can boost mental and physical health. [Online article]. Retrieved from: https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2016/09/29/study-adult-education-classes-in-any-subject-can-boost-mental-and-physical-health/

Urban, K. (December 20, 2016). For geriatric falls, ‘brain speed’ may matter more than lower limb strength. Health Lab. [Online article]. University of Michigan. Retrieved from: https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/health-tech/for-geriatric-falls-brain-speed-may-matter-more-than-lower-limb-strength

Page updated

Report abuse