 It’s a new year again! And with each new year we all have a fresh opportunity to enhance our lives and our health. This year, I recommend learning something new. As we get older, we become experts at the things we like to do and take less time to learn new things.
Now that my son is grown, I’m entering a stage in my life where I have some time to learn a new language, a new sport, or pick up a hobby. Living in Cambridge, I have plenty of options for classes, though I’m not sure if I want to do something physical or more cerebral. I’ve been doing some reading about how our brains benefit from learning new things. With new challenges, we make new dendrites (branches of our neurons) that are responsible for processing and assimilating information.
As neurologist David Perlmutter writes in his book, The Better Brain Book, “You may go to the gym or to an exercise class to work out your muscles so that they don’t atrophy with age, but what have you done for your brain lately?”
My advice would be to find something new, challenging, stimulating, and fun to learn for your New Year’s resolution. Here are some ideas:
- Learn a new language or a new musical instrument
- Take a class
- Learn to sew, knit, paint, or draw
- Join a book club or start your own
- Learn to play a sport or take dance lessons
There are plenty of things to try and it may feel strange to not be “good” at something right away, but this is part of the fun — and benefit. Novelty is what makes your brain work harder. Learning new things can also make us feel more excited about life, especially when we meet new friends while we’re doing it.
So here’s to a new year, full of good fun and healthy brains!
Reference:
Perlmutter, D., & Colman, C. 2004. The Better Brain Book, 159. NY: Riverhead Books. ISBN: 1594480931. |