Whether you practice good habits or not, is truly up to you. Only you or perhaps a life-changing event can motivate you enough to adjust your poor habits to healthy habits. And we all understand that we should be physically well, emotionally balanced, socially and spiritually fit, but what about intellectual wellness?
Have you the observed the effects of our video gaming, phone addicting, multi-tasking culture? If you haven’t yet, try to take a step back and actually make eye contact with a multitasking human being, and see how effective the communication stream is between you both. The same goes for intellectual wellness and your brain. Our brain needs to rest and recover just like our body. After all, the brain is connected to the body.
The problem is we are challenging our brains in the wrong way where it is underworked (like a muscle) and becomes weak. The rise of dementia, memory loss, and general cognitive decline has been seen repeatedly in research, in our culture, and in our very own homes. The Mayo Clinic in 2017 reported that those age 70 and older who play chess or other logic-based games have a 22% lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. Additionally, the journal Annals of Neurology shared significant findings for those that learn a second language. Not only are these individuals improving memory and comprehension, they are also fostering the growth of new brain cells.
The capacity for mental and intellectual growth only stops when we stop feeding it. Feeding our brains with intellectual knowledge can be as simple as taking a drawing class, doing the morning crossword puzzle, or going to a museum. When you foster strong, healthy brain habits your brain is working….and improving.
Source: Jeff Kluger, Time article, Modified Summary, “How well are you really?”
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