Learning new things doesn’t just make you smarter – it can also help make your brain healthier, especially as you age.
Exposure to new things and challenging the brain can stimulate neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganise itself by forming new neural connections.
“In essence, evidence from neurobiology indicates that learning stimulates new neural connections throughout life, keeps the brain healthy, and can protect against age-related cognitive and memory decline,” explains behavioural scientist and Groov Clinical Lead Dr Fiona Crichton.
Research also shows learning new things is associated with other big health benefits, including enhanced self-esteem, life satisfaction, and optimism. It can even act as a circuit breaker for stress, as focussing on a complex task distracts you from worries and concerns.
For maximum benefit, it helps to choose an activity that forces you to think and learn and requires ongoing practice.
“When we are learning new things that are complex or challenging, and novel or new to us, that’s the best mix for brain health,” says Dr Fiona.
She suggests choosing enjoyable activities to learn and breaking the learning down into small, incremental steps. The more you enjoy something and notice progress, the more likely you are to keep going.
“There’s a reason why setting small goals and noticing achievements in pursuit of a larger goal works. Anticipating progress triggers the dopamine/reward system. Dopamine is associated with motivation and reward and is associated with a sense of pleasure. The dopamine/pleasure response is motivating – you want to keep experiencing that sense of pleasure.”