This is a question we often get asked in our classes and
lectures.
The quick answer is that while recreational activities like
crossword puzzles, sudoku, bridge, chess, poker, etc. are
all good for you and better than doing nothing, they are
usually limited in their range of mental cross-training as
well as difficult to control to ensure the right
combination of both challenge and novelty.
If you do them often, what you're doing is fun and can't
hurt. But it may not be complete. Recent recommendations
made by a panel of experts reviewing a poll by the American
Society on Aging stated "A single activity, no matter how
challenging, is not sufficient to sustain the kind of
mental acuity that virtually everyone can achieve."
Using your brain to solve creative challenges is excellent
practice and will help slow down the effects of aging. The
limitation with your current brain workout program is that
it does not have enough variety or novelty to work out all
your mental muscles. Have you ever seen the guys in the gym
with the buff upper bodies supported by little chicken
legs? The same thing can happen in your brain. Just as you
cross-train in your physical fitness routine (mixing cardio
with strength training and flexibility) to get a balanced
workout, you need to cross-train your mental fitness to
exercise your brain through motor coordination, emotional
understanding, memory, focus and attention, sensory
processes, communication, language skills, and mental
visualization.
Furthermore, how can you gauge your improvement if you
don't have a way to measure it? Using computer software to
give you a baseline score, workout routines for your brain,
and follow up tests gives you a measure of your
improvement. So basically, right now you may be doing a
highly focused workout using language and memory but with
inconsistent challenge and limited feedback. A structured
program should give you assessment, novelty, and
performance-based challenge while still being fun. That
extra mental stimulation can increase the rate of
neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons and the
connections between neurons.
A randomized controlled double-blind study published in
August 2006 "demonstrates that intensive,
plasticity-engaging training can result in an enhancement
of cognitive function in normal mature adults." Challenging
cognitive function leads to learning and neurogenesis. So
keep doing crosswords and sudoku, especially if you enjoy
them, but don't neglect the rest of your brain!
Conclusion: Do activities you enjoy, but be sure to do
things that challenge you with new and different types of
stimulation.
Further Reading
- Gamon D. and Bragdon A. Building Mental Muscle:
Conditioning Exercises for the Six Intelligence Zones
(Walker & Company; 2003). ISBN: 0802776698
- Mahncke HW, Connor BB, Appelman J, et al. Memory
enhancement in healthy older adults using a brain
plasticity-based training program: a randomized, controlled
study. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006;103:12523-8.
- Scarmeas N, Stern Y. Cognitive reserve and lifestyle. J
Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2003;25:625-33.
- Willis SL, Tennstedt SL, Marsiske M, et al. Long-term
effects of cognitive training on everyday functional
outcomes in older adults. JAMA. 2006;296:2805-14.
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Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of
SharpBrains.com, which combines the latest science-based
information for Brain Training with fun Brain Teasers, and
has been recognized by Scientific American Mind,
MarketWatch, Forbes, and more. Alvaro holds MA in Education
and MBA from Stanford University, and teaches The Science
of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute.
You can learn more at http://www.sharpbrains.com/
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