The Concept of Brain Plasticity
Age is often used as an excuse for a degenerating brain. It’s true that in some ways, when you get older, your brain slows down a little. But the true effects of age, really isn’t that great.
Some older people have a brain more active than those of a 20 year old. Look at the case of Dr Stanley Karansky. He was born in 1916 but even today he is still learning new things daily. His memory isn’t slipping by him and he had no problems of depression.
In fact, Dr George Valliant, a Harvard Psychiatrist conducted one of the lartgest study of its kind. He followed 824 people from their late teens to old age and found that older people are usually wiser and more socially adpet than they were as younger adults.
These people, of course, knew what people today don’t: That is your brain is a case of “use it or lose it”.
Studies have shown people today think and do about 80% - 90% the same things they thought and did yesterday. 60% of the people who left college never again read another book. Add to that most people are so busy in their life, most do not have the time to exercise at all (Ironically, gym membership seem to skyrocket!).
Is it any wonder that when these people lose their memory, their balance and even their ability to learn in old age?
Our brain is not like a microchip. It will lose its processing power if you don’t use it for too long. Fortunately, there’s a way to rectify a declining brain. Simply do these:
- Learn new skills daily. By learning, you are training your brain “how to learn”.
- Exercise… or at least go for a walk. Walk is as much a brain activity as it a leg activity. By walking you’re reminding your brain how to walk (literally). This is why I believe the fact that people are sitting for their job and the increasing incidence of the loss of balance in old age is not a coincidence.
- Do brain exercises such as those developed by Posit Science. They are clinically tested to be effective (up to 103% increase in auditory processing) by more than 50 scientists worldwide.
