There’s a new reason to pick up the latest issue of Women’s Health each month: Regular reading, writing, and other brain-stimulating activities could keep your mind sharp as you age, according to new research published in Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology’s medical journal.
Researchers conducted annual evaluations for 294 older adults. For each one, they looked at mental skills like memory, speed and space perception, and more. Researchers also asked participants how often they did mentally stimulating activities such as reading a book, playing chess, visiting a museum, or writing a letter.
What they found: The people who challenged their minds most frequently had a slower rate of mental decline and a higher level of cognitive functioning when they died. What’s more, keeping mentally busy seemed to counteract the typical decline associated with existing brain conditions such as Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s .
While study authors aren’t entirely sure what accounts for this effect, previous research suggests that doing mentally taxing activities on the regular can actually change the structure of certain regions of the brain. This in turn helps your mind function more efficiently as you age, says lead study author Robert Wilson, PhD, senior neuropsychologist of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
The fact is, virtually every person older than 80 suffers from some sort of cognitive decline, even if it’s just a mild memory problem, says Wilson. So while you can’t entirely stop your brain from aging, you can keep it in tip-top shape as you get older.
There’s no specific activity or time requirements here. Just choose activities you enjoy that also make you think—whether that’s keeping a journal, reading the latest Scoop posts, or cracking a book. Then do them as often as possible to keep your brain sharp.
More from WH:
The Surprising Thing That Messes With Your Memory
How to Stop Losing Things
7 Ways to Sharpen Your Mind