Neuroscientist: Invest in this ‘overloaded 401(k) for your brain’ to keep it healthy and sharp

The brain is one of the most important organs in our body, which means that keeping it healthy and sharp is just as important as focusing on our overall health. Fortunately, prioritizing brain health doesn’t have to be difficult.

MasterClass recently teamed up with neuroscientists and psychiatrists to create classes focused on improving brain health. The classes point out that even at an older age, brain function can improve.

“The brain never completes its electrical connection,” said Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, psychologist and neuroscientist, during the class “The Science of Smarter Aging.” “Your brain’s ability to change the way neurons connect throughout your life” is called brain plasticity, the class notes.

In adulthood, it may be more difficult and take longer to achieve brain plasticity, but not impossible, said Barrett, who is also the chief scientific officer for the Center for Law, Brain and Behavior at General Hospital. of Massachusetts.

“It is because of this amazing function of positive brain plasticity that we are able to shift our brain health, improving brain anatomy, physiology and function,” said Dr. Wendy Suzuki, neuroscientist and dean of New York University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Think of it as a “supercharged 401(k) for your brain,” Suzuki said. “Everything you do in your lifetime can lead us all to better long-term brain health.”

Here are some tips to improve your brain health and stay mentally sharp, from the experts featured in the MasterClass series.

1. Try new and challenging things

“Anytime you come across something that you didn’t anticipate or anticipate, and maybe it’s useful in the future, your brain will try to learn it,” Barrett said. “And learning is plasticity.”

In order to get the most benefits for brain health, your experiences should be new and challenging, experts stressed. “Challenges that are hard enough that they can be a little uncomfortable,” Barrett said.

Barrett and Suzuki suggested engaging in activities such as:

• Reading new books
• Learning a new language
• Meeting people for the first time
• Acting in a play
• Traveling to places you’ve never been before
• Watching a new movie
• Playing fun memory games like trying to memorize your grocery list

The goal should be “optimal novelty, optimal difficulty, optimal challenge,” Barrett said. “All of these things are metabolically challenging right now, but they’re like an investment in a healthier, stronger you.”

2. Take physical activity

“Physical activity is so powerful for our brains,” Suzuki said. It “stimulates the growth of brand new brain cells in your hippocampus as an adult,” a process called neurogenesis, she added.

This process works best when you exercise regularly, Suzuki said.

“A 10-minute walk has been shown to significantly reduce levels of depression and anxiety,” she said. “Forms of activity that require strategy will work your prefrontal cortex more,” including sports like soccer and basketball.

Even a little exercise is helpful, she noted. “Every drop of sweat matters to your brain.”

3. Connect with others

The amount of social interactions you have, even with people you don’t have close relationships with, can help predict how long you’ll live, Suzuki said. “Laughter and pleasant social interactions lower stress levels.”

When you do things like go for a walk or eat a healthy dinner, it’s even better for your brain if you do them alongside people whose company you enjoy.

You can also experience a release of the feel-good hormone, dopamine, through acts of kindness and community service.

4. ‘Be the architect of your emotions’

Practicing emotional intelligence by training your brain to create emotions more flexibly benefits your brain health greatly.

“Whether you treat distress as sadness or anger is very different than if you understand that distress after you’ve had a really rough week and you just need a little self-care,” Barrett said.

While no emotion is inherently good or bad, flexibility can help you channel your emotions in a way that is productive.

It can also help to use techniques like what Suzuki calls “joy conditioning.” Think back to positive memories from your past and sit with the emotions or try to re-enact them.

In general, the 401(k) for your brain can be summed up in this quote from Suzuki: “Move your body, get the optimal amount of sleep for your brain, eat a Mediterranean diet, have strong social connections. [and] as much love and laughter in your life as you can.”

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