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Keeping Your Brain Young: The Power of Lifelong Learning

Written by: Dr. Marci L. Hardy, PhD, MA

Did you know your brain is like a muscle?

It was once thought that the brain stopped growing and changing after childhood. However, research has shown that it continues to change and adapt to new information throughout the lifespan. Your brain’s ability to make new connections is called neuroplasticity, and it happens whenever you experience or learn something new. 

How does lifelong learning improve brain function?

Learning prompts your brain to build new connections. Actively challenging your brain with new information expands these pathways, ultimately building your cognitive reserve. Researchers found that certain areas of the brain were larger in London taxi drivers than in London bus drivers.1 While bus drivers typically drive the same route each day, taxi drivers are often asked to drive different routes for each customer. Thus, the taxi drivers created more brain connections and built more cognitive reserve.

Studies also show that people with a higher cognitive reserve are less likely to experience memory decline and have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. This reserve is built through things like:

  • Years of education2, 3,4
  • Challenging careers2,3,5
  • Speaking multiple languages6
  • Playing a musical instrument7

How can you keep your brain engaged?

As was identified by the smaller brain size in the bus drivers, routine can lead to brain decline over time. Try to do something different and fun every day. Push yourself a little, but not too much. Aim for “optimal frustration”, which means challenging yourself enough to stay motivated, but not so much that you give up.

Some fun ways to keep your brain active include:

Explore new places

  • Travel to a new city
  • Visit a new shop
  • Take a different route home

Join a group

  • Book clubs
  • Tennis or pickleball
  • Games: bridge, mahjong, or pinochle

Learn a new skill

  • Dance class
  • Cooking lessons
  • Hobbies, like art or a musical instrument

Challenge your mind

  • Build puzzles
  • Learn a new game
  • Read or listen to an audiobook

Experience art and culture

  • Visit a museum
  • Attend a play
  • Go to a local concert

Switch it up

  • Use your non-dominant hand for everyday tasks like brushing your teeth or eating
  • Lead with the opposite leg going up stairs

Expand your musical horizons

  • Listen to new types of music (genres)
  • Learn the lyrics to songs
  • Tap along with the beat of the music

Explore additional languages

  • Learn basic phrases in a new language
  • Use an app to practice another language
  • Watch shows in another language with English subtitles

Engage in online learning

  • Free online learning through YouTube
  • Watch online TED Talks
  • Listen to podcasts

How can you overcome potential barriers?

Sometimes, finding time or motivation to learn new things can be difficult. Consider these tips:

  • Start small: Even short bursts of learning can be beneficial.
  • Find something you enjoy: Learning should be fun!
  • Make it social: Learn with a partner, friend, or in a group.
  • Incorporate learning into your daily routine: Listen to podcasts or audiobooks while commuting, getting ready in the morning, or doing daily chores.  

  1. Maguire EA, Woollett K, Spiers HJ. London Taxi Drivers and Bus Drivers: A Structural MRI and Neuropsychological Analysis. Hippocampus. 2006; 16:1091–1101. ↩︎
  2. White L, Katzman R, Losonczy K, et al. Association of education with incidence of cognitive impairment in three established populations for epidemiologic studies of the elderly. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 1994;47:363–74. ↩︎
  3. Woollett K, Maguire EA. Acquiring “the Knowledge” of London’s layout drives structural brain changes. Current Biology: CB. 2011;21:2109–14. ↩︎
  4. Wilson RS, Hebert LE, Scherr PA, Barnes LL, Mendes de Leon CF, Evans DA. Educational attainment and cognitive decline in old age. Neurology. 2009;72:460–5. ↩︎
  5. Stern Y, Gurland B, Tatemichi TK, Tang MX, Wilder D, Mayeux R. Influence of education and occupation on the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association. 1994;271:1004–10. ↩︎
  6. Mechelli  A, Crinion  JT, Noppeney U, et al. Neurolinguistics: structural plasticity in the bilingual brain. Nature. October 2004; 14;431(7010):757 ↩︎
  7. Gaser C, Schlaug G. Brain structures differ between musicians and non-musicians. Journal of Neuroscience. October 2003;23(27):9240-9245. ↩︎