Age-Proofing Your Brain – Mindset, 1

Everything begins in the brain—with a thought. This is not “new news,” however. Marcus Antonius has been quoted as saying “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” That goes for your health, wellbeing, and potential lifespan, as well. In her book, Mindset, Carol S. Dweck, PhD, explains that people with a fixed mindset believe that who they are is basically carved in stone. Thus, they tend to interpret failure as the lack of necessary basic abilities, feel worthless, unlucky, often hopeless and helpless, and often give up. Those with a growth mindset believe that they can acquire almost any needed skill provided they invest effort and study. Even though they face challenges, growth-mindset people refrain from putting themselves down or   throwing in the proverbial towel. They just keep on building their skills and practicing. Having a growth mindset tells you that you can develop your skills—it’s still up to you whether you want to do that. It can help you live a less stressful and more successful life. Most children are already developing a growth or a fixed mindset by the ages of four to six. Do you have a fixed or a growth mindset? Think about it. If you have a fixed mindset, you can change it. If you have a growth mindset, that can help you implement strategies to age-proof your brain. More tomorrow.

Age-Proofing Your Brain – Perspective, 2

Dump Gerontophobia: the fear of aging and of losing your brain functions, including loss of memory. Identify and examine your perspectives about brain function and getting older. Embrace: Growing older is part of the cycle of life and there are benefits at every stage—the best is yet to be. Think: Living is a privilege and I am fortunate to be doing so, especially since many are denied the opportunity. Do you see the glass of your life half empty or full to overflowing? Speaking of the glass half empty, in their book The Art of Possibility, authors Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander wrote: Those who say the glass is half empty are dealing with a mental abstraction of emptiness and lack. The optimist is describing a measure of physical reality, a substance that is actually in the glass. And since today is Valentine’s Day, there is no better time to take a look as the perspectives you have absorbed since early childhood about aging and the brain. There is no better gift you can give to yourself and to those who love you than this: Get busy age-proofing your brain!

(For more information see “Age-Proofing Your Brain” by Taylor and Briggs.)

Age-Proofing Your Brain – Perspective, 1

In one of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s presentations, he was quoted as saying: If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. This is a more profound statement than many realize. Many suffer from Gerontophobia¾a negative perspective about the process of growing older.  Your perspective will impact your process of growing older. Dr. Ken Dychtwald, author of Age Wave, challenged his readers to uncover their beliefs about aging. For example, do you believe that life is hard and then you die? That can contribute to both anger and fear. Do you believe that young is good and stimulating and old is bad and boring? That can contribute to sadness and depression. Do you believe that brain decline associated with getting older can often be slowed if not prevented and even reversed to some degree? If so, you may be very motivated to increase your knowledge and applying on a daily basis. More tomorrow.

Age-Proofing Your Brain – Knowledge, 2

The brain can keep only one thought or tasks at a time in working memory. This means that the brain was not designed to multitask effectively. Multitasking involves rapidly alternating shifts of attention from one task to another. Sanjay Gupta MD points out that likely you aren’t actually doing multiple tasks at exactly the same time. You’re just diverting your attention from one part of your brain to another part, which takes time and resources. This can not only fatigue your brain but can increase your risk for making mistakes. Whenever possible, focus on one task to completion, and then work on another one. To save time and brain energy, if you need to get something from another room, say aloud what you are going to get in the other room as you pass through a doorway. This helps keep that thought in working memory. Otherwise, your brain will likely implement its “event boundary” and wipe working memory clean as it passes through a doorway.

Age-Proofing Your Brain – Knowledge, 1

Your knowledge level about the brain and how it functions—what you know or don’t know and how you apply it—profoundly impacts your brain’s health. Knowledge can be defined as information, facts, and skills you acquire through education and through personal experience. However, knowledge must be applied on a daily basis to make a difference in your brain and your life. What are some key pieces of knowledge that can help you implement practical strategies that work for you? Here are a few.

1.   Regardless of race, gender, or culture, human brains are more alike than they are different. Brains are the same color regardless of the skin tones on the body that houses the brain. However, every thought you think changes the structure of your brain so no two brains are exactly alike. There is not another brain on the planet that is identical to yours so honor yours and avoid continually comparing with the brains of others. More tomorrow.

Age-Proofing Your Brain

I’ve heard you speak about age-proofing the brain and I need some tips! Alzheimer’s runs in my family and I’m scared. So does dementia. Can you help me?

First of all, I empathize with your concerns about your brain since dementia appears to run in your family, Alzheimer’s being one type of dementia. Studies have shown that there are steps you can take to help prevent some types of dementia (due to failure to stimulate and challenge the brain on a regular basis, for example) and to slow the onset of development of some other types. I can share some strategies with you. However, you are the only person who can do it for you—the only person who can actually build these strategies into your daily life. Can everything negative be prevented? Of course not. But recognize that genetics is believed to contribute only about 30 percent to how well and how long you live. Epigenetics (everything that impacts you except genetics), including your lifestyle, contribute at least 70 percent to how well and how long you live. More than half of all the factors that impact aging are within your partial if not complete control. More tomorrow.

Brain & Native Language, 2

The girls who were Chinese native speakers and the girls who were adopted from Chinese mothers into French families, showed (by fMRI) activation in a portion of the brain crucial for processing sounds (the left superior temporal gyrus). Girls adopted from Chinese mothers into French families showed activation in the left superior temporal gyrus — an area crucial for processing sounds — that was identical to that of the Chinese native speakers. The French speakers, who were not sensitive to tones in the same way as Chinese speakers, showed activation in the right superior temporal gyrus. According to the researchers, the similarity between Chinese adoptees and Chinese speakers illustrates that early acquired language information is maintained in the brain and that early experiences unconsciously influence neural processing for years, if not indefinitely. Based on the conclusions of this study, my guess it that you would have an advantage in learning to speak Chinese now.