Building a Better Brain: Cognitive Engagement

You may have heard that engaging and challenging your brain is an important way to lower the risk of dementia. Crossword puzzles, sudoku, and other games may be the first thing to come to mind. While these games may be enjoyable, research shows they do not provide broad protection against dementia. Fortunately, the Global Council on Brain Health has evidence-based recommendations for optimizing the health of your brain:

1. Find new ways to stimulate your brain. Novelty is important to continually challenge the brain and is an element in what makes even routine cognitive activities interesting and challenging.
2. Engage your brain along with someone else. Pick a skill or hobby that you want to learn and find a mentor, friend, or companion to join you. The social aspects of activities that challenge your brain can help inspire you to keep going. If being with other people motivates you, join a group activity.
3. Choose an activity that you enjoy. Enjoyment is one of the best motivators. When you look forward to an activity, you are more likely to stay committed over time.
4. Make it easy on yourself. Select activities which fit in well with your schedule and are easily accessible. When something is convenient, it becomes easy to stay with consistently.
5. Aim for purposeful (deliberate) practice. This will help you to improve performance over time. If you are taking up a challenging hobby such as learning a new musical instrument or learning a new language, seek feedback from an instructor, coach or mentor. Their guidance will encourage you and keep you moving forward.
6. Find an activity where someone will notice whether you are present. Having someone who checks up on you and notices if you miss a session can provide extra accountability and motivation to continue.
7. Use life stages and transitions to change things up. Think about the changes in your life as you age, such as moving, changing careers, or retiring as opportunities to try new forms of cognitive stimulation. Maybe the new neighborhood has glass-blowing classes, hiking trails, or a different music group you can join.
8. Study something you are interested in. Enroll in continuing education classes at a local community college or university. Set achievable goals, enjoy the process, and reward yourself along the way. This gradual approach will help you increase your involvement in the activity.
9. Choose activities involving both mental and physical engagement. Physical activity has been shown to improve cognition in adults. Activities such as dancing, tennis, or other sports that combine mental engagement with physical exercise are an especially wise investment of your time.

See Engage Your Brain: GCBH Recommendations on Cognitively Stimulating Activities for more information on how cognitive engagement helps brain health.