Three intriguing research studies suggest inexpensive ways to reduce the risk of dementia and improve lifespan without medications.
It is too easy to focus on bad news and stressful events, especially in the era of “always on” social media . As an antidote, I would like to highlight three recent studies offering good suggestions on ways to improve one’s cognitive health , happiness, and longevity.
Note that much of this research is still preliminary. But they are all actions anyone can pursue at home for zero or minimal cost.by Monash University student Emma Jaffa, Professor Joanne Ryan, and colleagues suggests that listening to music regularly was associated with ain people over age 70. Playing a musical instrument was associated with a 35% decreased risk of dementia. Doing both was associated with a 33% decreased risk of dementia. Their study included over 10,000 participants. people who speak only one language are twice as likely to experience accelerated aging compared to multilingual individuals The more languages one spoke, the stronger the effect. One possible explanation: “Each additional language increases the demand for attention, executive function, and memory, which builds up cognitive resilience over time.”, on average, and to greater odds of achieving ‘exceptional longevity,’ that is, living to the age of 85 or beyond.”This effect persisted after controlling for potentially confounding factors such as baseline state of physical health, marital status, etc.Personally speaking, I think much of one’s outlook is shaped by the information content one consumes. As an analogy, one’s physical health is greatly affected by whether one regularly eats healthy nutritious foods vs. junk food. Similarly, one’s mental health will be greatly enhanced by reading quality news articles, as well as inspiring fiction and non-fiction books. Conversely, a mental “junk food” diet of low quality television and clickbait internet news stories will inevitably erode one’s mental health and sense of optimism. All three of these studies show interesting correlations, but do not necessarily establish causation. But even if the causal links are not yet fully established, we can all improve pursue these objectives for relatively little cost. For example, even folks of modest means can find good free music to listen on local radio or through the local public library. Many community colleges and local community education centers offer low cost or free language classes. It may take a little bit more effort to reduce doomscrolling social media on one’s phone, and instead establish healthier patterns of news and information consumption. But this is mostly a matter of establishing better daily habits, rather than monetary expense. All of these steps will require some expenditure in time and energy. But if listening to good music, learning another language, and maintaining an optimistic outlook can lower the chance of dementia, improve mental health, and lead to a longer happier life, it seems worth the investment!
Cognitive Health Dementia Language Optimism Music Habits Social Media
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