The topic this time is learning. Learning new things is so good for our brains – especially as we get older.
Learning new skills builds new connections – new neural pathways – and strengthens existing pathways – even as we age.
The more we practise our new skill the more the neurons fire and that means they connect to more and more neurons – sometimes as many as 1000 other nerve cells. And the more connections you make, the more efficient the brain becomes. The brain is also very good at finding new ways round – think of your sat nav shouting “recalculating route” – your brain does the same – this is known as brain plasticity! As well as the number of connections the insulation – the myelin – also grows and so everything works better and faster. So as you practise your new skill you get more accurate, faster, better, more proficient.
There is a lot of evidence that you really need to stretch your brain – the old wisdom that “doing the crossword every day” will keep your brain fit is not really the case. You need to be learning NEW things – so a new language, learning new dances, learning something like crochet – and the latter two are especially good as they involve mental AND physical processes!
Physical effort enhances the growth of all those neural connections!
To begin with it’s really hard, but as we have little successes then we will get our old friend the dopamine rush – the reward hormone – and so you are driven to repeat the experience.
The effect of never doing anything new – of boredom – is seriously bad news as well. Those pathways degrade, the myelin retreats – and our brains and our memories suffer – and that’s even without the effects of diseases like Alzheimers or dementia. I learned recentlythat this is called “synaptic pruning” – the synapses being the connections between neurons. (Neurons don’t actually touch – it’s actually a chemical reaction in the space – the synapse – that causes the next cell to fire!)
There is also evidence that being bored can cause heart disease – so there are physical effects beyond the brain. So anything that is challenging – any new situation – is really good for us. We really do have to get out of our comfort zone – it’s good for our brain health and our physical health.
So what are YOU going to learn!? Let me know in the comments below.
Get in touch if you would like to discuss further.