Willa Mag

 

A while ago, when chatting with some friends around me, I found that we all seemed to have this feeling:

As we age, we always feel that our brains are not as flexible as before.

For example:

• Our memory is getting worse. We can no longer effortlessly remember information like we used to.
• Our thinking agility has declined. When faced with the same problems or situations, it takes us some time to react.
• Our learning efficiency has also dropped. When learning new knowledge or skills, we often feel that our brains are sluggish and a bit inflexible...

Although we are still quite far from "getting old," it's better to plan ahead. If we can develop some good habits and gain certain insights in advance, it will be very helpful for keeping our brains young, enabling us to spend every stage of our lives in the best state.

So, in today's article, I want to share with you how to better help your brain resist aging and keep your mental power young and healthy for a long time.

I

First, I'd like to give you a reassuring message.

As we all know, our intelligence can be divided into fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. Crystallized intelligence refers to our experience, while fluid intelligence is our ability to analyze, think, and solve problems, similar to what we generally call "IQ" and "mental power."

Traditional research suggests that the peak period of our fluid intelligence in our lives is around the age of 25. After the age of 25, fluid intelligence will gradually decline. Especially after the age of 45, the decline will become more obvious.

So, we often feel that our brains are most active around the age of 25, and by our thirties, there will be some degree of decline.

However, more recent research has found that this may not be the case.

In 2022, a study published in "Nature" found that the rate of our intellectual decline may not be as significant as we previously thought. (von Krause et al., 2022)

Simply put, if properly maintained, our thinking speed can remain at a relatively stable level until around the age of 60.

So, why did traditional research observe a decline in thinking speed? This study suggests that it may be because as we age, we become more cautious and need to consider more factors, making us seem less "decisive" than when we were young.

I also have a similar feeling: Many times, it's not that a person's brain has aged, but rather their mindset has. When a person starts to be hesitant, conservative, stubborn, and unwilling to accept new things, their mental power will actually be more significantly affected.

So, what I want to tell you is that as long as you maintain a good mindset and keep your brain open, active, and enthusiastic, you can maintain your peak state for a long time.

Moreover, what was mentioned above is only fluid intelligence. Don't forget that we also have crystallized intelligence. Crystallized intelligence will steadily increase throughout our lives and can remain at a relatively high and stable level even at the age of 60.

In other words, all the things we learn and accumulate in our lives will not disappear but will support us in better understanding and dealing with the world in some way.

Therefore, no matter what age you are at now, you can hold on to this belief: Now is my peak moment, and this peak moment can be maintained for many years. So, what can't we start from now?

Of course, you may have noticed that I emphasized the point of "proper maintenance" earlier. So, what does proper maintenance mean? What effective methods can better protect our mental power?

I hope this "Brain Anti-Aging Handbook" can give you some help and inspiration.

II

1. Enhance Cognitive Reserve

Our brains are composed of hundreds of billions of neurons. The connections between neurons form our thinking. Brain neurons are basically non - renewable. These neurons that are born in our childhood will accompany us throughout our lives. We can't replace or increase them like we replace body cells.

However, although we can't increase the resources, we can optimize the resource allocation.

For example, when working on a project, you have a fixed budget. But through careful planning, you can reduce unnecessary waste and generate more benefits with less budget. Applying this principle to the brain is called "cognitive reserve."

Simply put, suppose completing a task requires 100% of the brain's neural network resources. Now, through continuous optimization, you only need 95% of the resources to complete the same task. Then, the remaining 5% of the resources are the cognitive reserve.

In case 5% of your neurons are damaged and can't work, this reserved 5% can be used to continue completing the same task.

So, how can we improve cognitive reserve? The most direct way is to learn. Among them, learning foreign languages and music have been more extensively studied.

Research has found that as bilingual people age, their temporal and parietal lobes are less likely to be damaged, and the connectivity between the frontal lobe and the temporal and parietal lobes becomes stronger, which can effectively improve cognitive reserve.

At the same time, learning foreign languages can improve the brain's executive control ability and attention and increase the density of neuronal connections in the prefrontal cortex, which can effectively counteract the damage caused by aging.

Currently, many researchers are studying how to prevent and alleviate Alzheimer's disease by teaching the elderly foreign languages, and some results have been achieved.

Generally speaking, people who speak two languages experience less brain aging than those who speak only one language. Learning three or four languages will have better results, but the marginal improvement gradually decreases. Simply put, if you pursue cost - effectiveness, mastering one foreign language proficiently is enough. If you have enough time and interest, the more the better.

Another example is music. A 2018 study found that music - related activities can effectively improve the brain's memory and executive control ability. The reason may be that music can stimulate the brain to obtain information through hearing, thereby training the brain's ability to process information and improving the brain's utilization of resources.

So, if you have time, it is highly recommended to develop the habits of learning foreign languages and music. It's best if you can play a musical instrument. If not, singing, dancing, or even listening to more music is also good.

This can very effectively improve cognitive reserve and make the brain's thinking more efficient.

2. Receive Fresh Stimuli

Previously, I mainly talked about foreign languages and music. So, does it mean that other types of learning have no effect? Of course not.

In fact, any kind of learning is extremely beneficial to the brain. In addition to building cognitive reserve, they can also work in another way, which is to provide fresh stimuli.

Many times, what is the essence of the "decline in mental power" we feel? It's not that the brain has really declined, but rather that due to a long - term lack of dopamine, the brain has entered a state of "chronic fatigue."

This will make us gradually become listless, lack motivation, lose interest, and be reluctant to think or use our brains. Over time, we will gradually lose the ability to "think."

So, how can we stimulate the brain to secrete enough dopamine? Continuously providing it with a sense of freshness is a crucial way.

When the brain receives new information, it will compare it with the established prediction framework. Once it finds that the information is outside the prediction framework, it will enter a state of alert and try to "digest" this new information.

How to digest it? There are two ways. One is to directly discard it and pretend that it has never been encountered. This is also the most common way for many people with "brain decline" to deal with new things.

In fact, it's not because the brain has declined that one can't accept new things. On the contrary, it's because one has always been reluctant to accept new things that the brain has gradually declined.

Therefore, to maintain mental power, we need to choose the second path: that is, to figure it out, accept it, and internalize it into our prediction framework so that the brain can understand its existence.

Whether it's a new knowledge field or newly emerging things, it's crucial to maintain an open mindset and always try to accept them.

If possible, you might as well refer to my "15% Possibility" rule. Allocate 15% of your available time in life specifically to contact and understand new fields. You don't need to learn it in a very professional way or turn it into something profitable. You just need to let it continuously provide fresh stimuli and stimulate dopamine secretion in the brain.

This will continuously inject vitality into your brain.

3. Conduct Mental Exercises

I once read a news story about an 88 - year - old grandmother who has been playing games online and has become a game streamer, attracting millions of fans.

In fact, games are indeed a very effective way to exercise the brain and are very helpful for maintaining the brain's vitality and youth.

The reason is that games are a form of entertainment that requires the use of many brain functions. Take shooting games as an example. You need to identify directions, remember routes, understand the environment, find enemies, formulate strategies, and take actions. All these actions require the high - level cooperation and participation of various brain regions.

Many studies have found that games have good effects on improving hand - eye coordination, spatial ability, and motor ability.

(Remember not to be addicted to games, or it will be counterproductive.)

Of course, it's not just video games. All activities that require high - level brain participation can be regarded as a form of mental exercise and are very helpful for maintaining the brain's activity.

For example:

• Board games such as tabletop games and scripted role - playing games are very good for training reading, understanding, and reasoning abilities.
• Games like chess, riddles, and quizzes are very helpful for attention, memory, and pattern recognition abilities.
• Drama performances such as plays can train understanding, memory, expression, and perception abilities.
• Handicrafts, painting, and other art forms are beneficial for concentration, imagination, expression, and coordination abilities.
• Even participating in some activities that require competition and cooperation (such as ball games) can be helpful because they involve competition and cooperation mechanisms, which require you to make quick judgments and decisions.

You might as well develop the habit of participating in these activities. This can not only exercise your brain but also continuously bring you a sense of achievement and happiness.

4. Maintain Sufficient Social Interaction

Maintaining good social interaction can not only improve happiness but also reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Research has found that actively participating in socially productive activities (social interaction is one of them) is a key factor in keeping the body and mind as young as possible.

Here, social interaction doesn't mean that you must have a lot of friends or meet strangers. It includes two aspects. On the one hand, try to maintain contact with your friends and avoid long - term isolation. Research shows that long - term loneliness can cause irreversible damage to the brain and affect our cognitive ability.

Of course, the loneliness mentioned here refers to the "reclusive" and "lonely" state of not communicating with others, not the "solitude" that you choose voluntarily. The latter is fine, so you don't have to worry.

On the other hand, participate in social activities. Such as parties, competitions, team sports, and interest - based activities. These activities can effectively create new environmental stimuli for the brain, improve the brain's vitality, and continuously stimulate the brain's self - optimization and improvement.

If on this basis, you can create more "outputs," it will be even better. For example, creating content, sharing insights, developing your own products, engaging in artistic creation, and providing professional knowledge consultations and services for customers. These advanced activities can fully mobilize various brain regions and functions, enabling the brain to maintain its best state.

Therefore, I often say that we should create, not just consume. Because creation can not only provide us with sufficient and high - level happiness but also comprehensively train and strengthen our brains, enabling it to continuously grow and improve itself.

5. Maintain Healthy Habits

The most important thing to avoid is sitting for long periods. Prolonged sitting has been regarded by many studies as the daily bad habit that is most harmful to physical and mental health, increasing the risk of many diseases.

A 2018 study specifically examined the relationship between sitting for long periods and cognitive ability. The results showed that sitting for long periods can reduce the brain's cognitive ability. The reason is that sitting for long periods is not conducive to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular circulation, which can significantly reduce the brain's thinking and cognitive ability. (Bakrania et al., 2018)

Another example is what I mentioned in a previous article: Sitting for long periods can cause partial brain regions to be short of oxygen. Although this lack of oxygen may be temporary, it will almost certainly cause minor damage to the nervous system. Over time, this accumulated damage may cause irreversible consequences, such as making neurons more prone to apoptosis or destroying neural connections due to long - term lack of oxygen.

On the contrary, even mild exercise can be beneficial to the brain. For example:

• People who exercise more have a slower rate of cognitive decline. (Steves et al., 2016)
• A 2019 study found that walking 5,000 - 10,000 steps a day can effectively increase brain volume and reduce the degree of brain aging.
• A 2012 study found that when we run, the blood flow in the brain increases by about 15%, which can improve the brain's operating efficiency. (Wasson et al., 2012)

Therefore, don't sit for long periods. Develop the habit of getting up and moving around more. At the same time, integrate exercise into your daily life through scattered exercise to counteract the effects of sitting for long periods as much as possible.

If you are very busy, you can do some exercise in your spare time, such as running in place, going up and down stairs, or sprinting. Even simple stretching can have some effects.

If you have the conditions, you can participate in some outdoor sports with your friends. This can not only achieve the purpose of physical exercise but also comprehensively improve your physical and mental health through social interaction and mental exercise.

If you don't like intense activities, taking a walk and getting some sun on weekends or in your spare time is also a very effective way to exercise. I personally highly recommend it.

At the same time, developing the habit of exercise can also help improve sleep quality. In this way, it can also remove the brain's metabolic waste through good sleep and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. It's really killing two birds with one stone.

6. Train Brain Order

As mentioned before, the brain's thinking ability often depends on the efficiency of the connections between neurons. The more efficient and "orderly" the connections between neurons are, the higher the overall efficiency is, and the better our thinking ability is.

So, what methods can we use to train the brain and make it more orderly?

A simple way is to often summarize, generalize, and refine information from the bottom - up. Help the brain cut off useless and unnecessary connections and consolidate and strengthen high - dimensional connections.

You can try the following "brain calisthenics":

When you encounter a new problem, you can think:

• Which category of problems I've encountered does this problem belong to?
• What are the commonalities and differences between this problem and the problems in this category?
• How can the process of my thinking and dealing with this problem be applied to problems in this category?

When you receive information and integrate knowledge, you can think like this:

• What do I know about a certain topic? What knowledge have I accumulated about it?
• How can I connect other knowledge points with a certain piece of knowledge?
• What experiences and practices have I had in a certain type of situation? What methodologies have I summarized?

In addition, continuously reflect on and review the projects you've worked on and the actions you've taken:

• What actions did I take? Why did they work? How can I turn them into a process?
• What difficulties did I encounter during the action? Are these difficulties of low or high probability?
• What attempts can I make to deal with these difficulties? Can these attempts be sorted into a set of precautions?

This can fully stimulate the brain and continuously optimize the internal connections of the brain, making our thinking clearer and more powerful.