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Advice from Laura L. Carstensen, Ph.D.
Many scientists believe that the cognitive declines we see with aging come about, in part, because people don’t do much new learning once they establish routines in a particular job or lifestyle, whether that’s running a household or managing a company. Though the expertise you gain over a lifetime is enormously satisfying—and obviously useful—you’ll need to make sure that you don’t rest too comfortably on existing talents. You must challenge yourself in order to remain mentally sharp in old age. When you perform well-ingrained tasks you don’t form new neural connections. It takes new learning to stimulate your brain in the way it needs to maintain optimal functioning.
Having watched our parents’ generation struggled with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, we boomers are painfully aware of the toll that cognitive degeneration takes on families and quality of life, and we are eager to ward it off…
Regardless of where you do it, you do need to stimulate your brain with continued learning. Two excellent ways, cognitive scientists say, are learning to speak a new language or play an instrument—unless, of course, you’re a United Nations translator or a professional musician, in which case these abilities are old hat and you should try something else. Assuming these are novel skills for you, you can pick them up with private lessons, at a community center, by teaching yourself, or—in the case of language acquisition—through immersion. Travel is a great way to practice new language skills, as well as a way to meet people, sample different cuisines, and learn about the history and culture of faraway places.
There’s no reason to think that education has to be done a certain way. If you’re not the kind of person who learns best while sitting still, try something you always to do that involves active, hands-on education. Start a garden, try out for the local community theater’s play, buy a field guide and hit the hiking trail, take on a big garage project like restoring a classic car, or gather your watercolors and decamp to the seaside. If you feel most comfortable learning at home, there are online classes and instructional videos and books. If you learn best in a friendly, informal group, try things like book clubs or nature walks, or sign up for the lecture series at the local college, library, museum, or art film house.
What’s important is that you don’t let yourself stagnate, doing only things, or reading only professional materials, that are deeply familiar to you. Try something outside of your strong suit.
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Copyright © 2009 by Laura L. Carstensen From the book A LONG BRIGHT FUTURE: AN ACTION PLAN FOR A LIFETIME OF HAPPINESS, HEALTH, AND FINANCIAL SECURITY published by Broadway Books, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted with permission. |
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