A study of adults aged between 50 and 93 years found that those who practiced number puzzles more frequently tended to have better cognitive function. A meta-analysis notes that chess and other cognitive leisure activities may lead to improvements in:.

A review notes that some types of video games — such as action, puzzle, and strategy games — may lead to improvements in the following:.

Enjoying company of friends may be a mentally engaging leisure activity and may help preserve cognitive function. A study found that people with more frequent social contact were less likely to experience cognitive decline and dementia. A study of older adults found that learning a new and cognitively demanding skill, such as quilting or photography, enhanced memory function.

A simple way to increase vocabulary is to read a book or watch a TV program and note down any words that are unfamiliar. A person can then use a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word and think up ways to use the word in a sentence.

A review notes that bilingualism increases and strengthens connectivity between different areas of the brain. A study published in Brain Sciences found that listening to music a person enjoys engages and connects different parts of the brain. The researchers propose that this may lead to improvements in cognitive function and overall well-being.

According to a study , playing an instrument may benefit cognitive development in a young brain and help protect against cognitive impairment in an aging brain. Such hobbies may include:. Regular physical exercise is beneficial for both the brain and the body.

Authors of a review note that exercise improves the following aspects of brain health:. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC , exercise has beneficial effects on the following aspects of cognitive health:. Dance is a form of exercise that may also engage areas of the brain involved in rhythm and balance.

Certain sports are both physically and mentally demanding. Some require a range of cognitive skills, such as:. A review notes that elite athletes who participate in high demand sports tend to have improved attention and faster information processing speeds.

Tai chi is a form of physical exercise that involves gentle body movements, rhythmic breathing, and meditation. A study compared brain function and connectivity among tai chi practitioners and those who did not practice it.

The researchers found that the tai chi practitioners had enhanced connectivity between different regions of their brain. They proposed that this may improve cognition and decrease the rate of memory loss.

While not necessarily an active exercise, sleep is crucial for both the brain and the body. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke , most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night, although many people get less sleep than they need.

A review notes that sleep has been proven to:. As such, making sure to get enough sleep each night is an important step toward maintaining a healthy brain.

Brain exercises can be as simple as actively engaging the brain in everyday tasks. Others are targeted workouts for the brain, specifically designed to enhance memory, cognition, or creativity. Exercising the brain may help improve brain function and boost connectivity between the different areas.

This may help protect the brain from age-related degeneration. People are likely to differ in terms of the brain exercises they find most enjoyable. It may be a good idea to try a range of brain-training activities at first and to stick with those that provide the most enjoyment or reward.

The diet can have a significant impact on the brain's function. A brain-healthy diet, rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, can boost memory…. Are you looking for ways to improve your mind and boost brain power in ?

Mental decline is common, and it's one of the most feared consequences of aging. But cognitive impairment is not inevitable.

Here are 12 ways you can help maintain brain function. Through research with mice and humans, scientists have found that brainy activities stimulate new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells, developing neurological "plasticity" and building up a functional reserve that provides a hedge against future cell loss.

Any mentally stimulating activity should help to build up your brain. Read, take courses, try "mental gymnastics," such as word puzzles or math problems Experiment with things that require manual dexterity as well as mental effort, such as drawing, painting, and other crafts.

Research shows that using your muscles also helps your mind. Animals who exercise regularly increase the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the region of the brain that is responsible for thought. Exercise also spurs the development of new nerve cells and increases the connections between brain cells synapses.

This results in brains that are more efficient, plastic, and adaptive, which translates into better performance in aging animals.

Exercise also lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, helps blood sugar balance and reduces mental stress, all of which can help your brain as well as your heart. Good nutrition can help your mind as well as your body. For example, people that eat a Mediterranean style diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, unsaturated oils olive oil and plant sources of proteins are less likely to develop cognitive impairment and dementia.

High blood pressure in midlife increases the risk of cognitive decline in old age. Use lifestyle modification to keep your pressure as low as possible.

Stay lean, exercise regularly, limit your alcohol to two drinks a day, reduce stress, and eat right. Diabetes is an important risk factor for dementia. You can help prevent diabetes by eating right, exercising regularly, and staying lean.

But if your blood sugar stays high, you'll need medication to achieve good control. High levels of LDL "bad" cholesterol are associated with an increased the risk of dementia.

Diet, exercise, weight control, and avoiding tobacco will go a long way toward improving your cholesterol levels. But if you need more help, ask your doctor about medication.

Some observational studies suggest that low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk of dementia, especially vascular dementia.

Ask your doctor if you are a candidate. Excessive drinking is a major risk factor for dementia. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to two drinks a day.

Last year, neuroscientists discovered multiple ways that musical training improves the function and connectivity of different brain regions and improves cognitive function.

Practicing a musical instrument increases brain volume and strengthens communication between brain areas. Playing an instrument changes how the brain interprets and integrates a wide range of sensory information, especially for those who start before age seven.

The findings were presented at the Neuroscience conference in San Diego. In a press briefing, Gottfried Schlaug of Harvard Medical School summarized the new research from three different presentations at the conference.

He said, "These insights suggest potential new roles for musical training including fostering plasticity in the brain; have strong implications for using musical training as a tool in education ; and for treating a range of learning disabilities.

Another study found that reading books, writing, and participating in brain-stimulating activities at any age may preserve memory. Neuroscientists discovered that reading a novel can improve brain function on a variety of levels. This study of the brain benefits of reading fiction was conducted at Emory University and published in the journal Brain Connectivity.

The researchers found that becoming engrossed in a novel enhances connectivity in the brain and improves brain function. In , John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago presented findings that identified that the health consequences of feeling lonely can trigger psychological and cognitive decline.

Cacioppo's research found that feeling isolated from others can disrupt sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol, alter gene expression in immune cells, increase depression , and lower overall subjective well-being.

All of these factors conspire to disrupt optimal brain function and connectivity, and reduce cognitive function. A pilot study by researchers at Harvard's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center identifed that the brain changes associated with meditation and subsequent stress reduction may play an important role in slowing the progression of age-related cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

First author Rebecca Erwin Wells explained, "We were particularly interested in looking at the default mode network DMN —the brain system that is engaged when people remember past events or envision the future, for example—and the hippocampus—the part of the brain responsible for emotions, learning and memory—because the hippocampus is known to atrophy as people progress toward mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

We also know that as people age, there's a high correlation between perceived stress and Alzheimer's disease, so we wanted to know if stress reduction through meditation might improve cognitive reserve. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco UCSF have created a specialized video game that may help older people boost mental skills like handling multiple tasks at once.

Adam Gazzaley of UCSF and colleagues published their findings in Nature in If someone received additional "booster" sessions over the next three years, the improvements were even more dramatic. Scientists have known for decades that the brain requires sleep to consolidate learning and memory.

At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego in , sleep researchers from Brown University presented groundbreaking new research that helps explain the specifics of how the sleeping brain masters a new task.

The extent of reorganization that the brain accomplishes during sleep is suggested by the distinct roles the two brainwave oscillations appear to play. A study from University of California, San Francisco UCSF found an association between poor sleep quality and reduced gray matter volume in the brain's frontal lobe, which helps control important processes such as working memory and executive function.

Neuroscientists have discovered that chronic stress and high levels of cortisol can damage the brain. A wide range of recent studies has affirmed the importance of maintaining healthy brain structure and connectivity by reducing chronic stress, which lowers cortisol.

Neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, found that chronic stress triggers long-term changes in brain structure and function which can lead to cognitive decline. Their findings might explain why young people exposed to chronic stress early in life are prone to mental problems such as anxiety and mood disorders later in life, as well as learning difficulties.

The "stress hormone" cortisol is believed to create a domino effect that hardwires pathways between the hippocampus and amygdala in a way that might create a vicious cycle by creating a brain that becomes predisposed to be in a constant state of fight-or-flight.

The researchers found that hardening wires may be at the heart of the hyper-connected circuits associated with prolonged stress. This results in an excess of myelin—and too much white matter—in some areas of the brain. Ideally, the brain likes to trim the fat of excess wiring through neural pruning in order to maintain efficiency and streamlined communication within the brain.

Chronic stress has the ability to flip a switch in stem cells that turns them into a type of cell that inhibits connections to the prefrontal cortex, which would improve learning and memory, but lays down durable scaffolding linked to anxiety, depression, and post- traumatic stress disorder.

Yoga has been proven to lower cortisol levels and reduce chronic stress.

Icy fingers and toes: Poor circulation or Raynaud's phenomenon? Your brain has the ability to learn and grow as you age — a process called brain plasticity — but for it to do so, you have to train it on a regular basis.

John N. Morris, director of social and health policy research at the Harvard-affiliated Institute for Aging Research. Research has shown that regular physical exercise is one way to improve cognitive functions like memory recall, problem solving, concentration, and attention to detail. However, it is not clear if the physical aspect alone boosts your brain or if a combination of other factors — like the mental challenge of the activity, the frequency you do it, and the desire to improve — also contribute.

Take swimming, for example. It has obvious cardiovascular and muscle-building benefits, but also involves constant thinking, processing, and learning. You have to be mindful of your breathing rhythm and how to properly execute strokes and kicks. You also can measure your expertise in terms of endurance and speed, which motivates you to practice your skills to be a better swimmer.

A brain training activity doesn't always have to be exercise-related. Much research has found that creative outlets like painting and other art forms, learning an instrument, doing expressive or autobiographical writing, and learning a language also can improve cognitive function.

A study in Gerontologist reviewed 31 studies that focused on how these specific endeavors affected older adults' mental skills and found that all of them improved several aspects of memory like recalling instructions and processing speed. Pick one new activity.

Devote your time and attention to only one additional activity, so you won't be tempted by other interests. Sign up for a class.

Classes are a good way to learn the basics of any new activity, especially one that requires specific skills, like painting or music. Schedule practice time. Don't focus on the amount of time you practice at first, but rather aim for consistency. Devote what time you can, but be firm with your commitment.

Schedule it and do it. No matter which new activity you choose, make sure it follows three guidelines in order to maximize brain training, according to Dr. You have to always challenge your brain in order for it to grow. Carleton University cognitive science researcher and Canada Research Chair John Anderson , director of the Cognition and Neuroscience of Aging Lab , wants to help optimize the cognitive performance of older adults.

To meet this challenge, he is combining two strands of inquiry—the interaction between long-term lifestyle factors such as bilingualism and social interaction and temporary, contextual factors such as time of day, caffeine and mood—that are typically studied separately. This will allow him to develop a holistic picture of brain health and suggest behavioural modifications that keep our brains firing on all cylinders.

People can do several different things to enhance their cognitive health, he explains, including aerobic exercise which increases the volume of the brain and avoiding red meat which is correlated with shrinkage of the brain.

By conducting magnetic resonance imaging MRI scans on monolingual and bilingual volunteers, Anderson can see which parts of the brain show atrophy and which parts show activity while performing certain tasks. Less high-tech methods like eye tracking and behavioural experiments are also part of his research programme.

Because of these stronger connections, the load of the task is sort of distributed. While this research does have the potential to help individuals, Anderson has his sights set on wider societal and policy changes. Health and Wellness Social Innovation Sustainability Technology for Good The New Economy.

Health and Wellness. Board games, card games and video games can all help activate higher-order cognitive skills , as they involve socialising, strategising, reasoning, solving problems and many other skills.

Your brain will become stronger and work better with enhanced use. Investing in increasing cognitive thinking is critical for better performance, at work and in life. It can help you make better decisions, be more productive, have a better social life and, importantly, prevent cognitive decline as you age.

Ultimately, understanding cognitive thinking can give you insight into how you think, and also why you think the way you do. Armed with this information, you can objectively assess and work towards your goals in life.

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Enquire Now. JCU Online Blog. Data Science. Study Online. DOWNLOAD COURSE GUIDE. The role of cognitive thinking To live our best lives at any stage, optimal cognitive thinking is important, as it enables us to perform better when studying and while at work.

Practices such as these can help improve cognitive thinking: Staying active Getting enough sleep Engaging socially Practising mindfulness Trying new things Learning a new language Playing games. What is cognitive thinking? Cognitive biases Another important research topic in the field of cognitive thinking is cognitive biases.

Cognitive psychologists are interested in many different types of biases. Anchoring bias Anchoring bias causes people to believe or get attached to the first available piece of information, and then unconsciously use it to influence their decision-making process, even when that information is incorrect.

Confirmation bias In general, people want to believe what they already believe. Negativity bias In general, people enjoy positive events but are more impacted by negative events and outcomes. Actor-observer bias Actor-observer bias refers to how individuals see themselves in situations, as opposed to how they see others.

The halo effect The halo effect is a type of bias characterised by the first impression that individuals may have of someone or something.

Cognitive processes and mental health One particularly interesting research area for cognitive psychologists is how cognitive thinking can be used to assist with mental health via cognitive behavioural therapy CBT.

Cognitive processes and skills Fundamentally, cognitive processes are what enable us to think, acquire knowledge, remember, read, pay attention and make critical decisions.

Cognitive processes The six primary cognitive processes are: 1. Thought As one of the foundational cognitive processes, thought is essential in helping individuals make decisions, solve problems and access higher-order reasoning skills that help them assess the merits of the options available to them.

Attention As the name suggests, attention is how well individuals can stay focused on the task at hand, regardless of what distractions surround them.

Learning Throughout life, human beings are constantly taking in new information and learning. Perception Perception is the cognitive process that allows individuals to take in sights, sounds, smells and information via touch and to mentally process this information and respond to it.

Memory Memory is the cognitive process that relates to how well individuals recall information, both in the short term and in the long term. Cognitive skills Cognitive skills use cognitive processes, so individuals can better acquire knowledge and make important decisions.

Here are five essential cognitive skills. Critical thinking Critical thinking helps individuals evaluate information and conduct logical thought processes. Quantitative skills Quantitative skills involve the use of mathematics and statistics to help individuals turn ideas into measurements and to use these measurements to make important decisions.

Logic and reasoning Logic and reasoning are the skills required for individuals to solve difficult problems based on the information available. Focused attention Focused attention helps individuals prioritise tasks, especially when several competing priorities exist.

How the brain learns Whenever the brain is presented with new information, new connections form between neurons. How the brain remembers Memory is the process in which the brain encodes, stores and retrieves information.

Cognitive learning theory Understanding how people learn is an important research area for cognitive psychologists. Stages of cognitive development According to the developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, children move through four stages of cognitive development as they become adults.

Stage 1: Sensorimotor stage birth to two years old In the sensorimotor stage, infants and toddlers acquire knowledge through their senses and by handling objects.

Stage 2: Preoperational stage two to seven years old In the preoperational stage, language begins to develop. Stage 3: Concrete operational stage seven to 11 years old In the concrete operational stage, children become better at using logic and at understanding the perspective of others.

Stage 4: Formal operational stage 12 years old and up In the formal operational stage, the final stage of cognitive development, children and young adults increase their use of logic and can understand abstract ideas. Collaborative learning Cognitive learning theory can also be applied in a workplace setting to help individuals excel and succeed in their careers via workplace learning.

Instructors in workplaces use the following cognitive learning theory concepts: Social cognitive theory Social cognitive theory explores how people adjust their behaviour over time to create goals. Instructors can use different techniques to help individuals positively adjust their behaviour and learn more effectively, including the following: Positive and negative reinforcement Reciprocal determinism Observational learning Self-regulatory capability Emotional coping.

Cognitive behavioural theory Cognitive behavioural theory seeks to explain how thoughts and feelings can influence behaviour, and how, in turn, these thoughts and feelings can affect learning. Implicit and explicit learning The concepts of implicit and explicit learning help instructors structure their learning to maximise the amount of information learners can retain.

Boosting cognitive thinking can also have many other benefits, including that it: Helps individuals make more objective decisions.

Improves productivity at work. Enables a richer social life. Provides an enhanced ability to learn. Encourages a better memory. Delays the onset of cognitive decline. Stay active Research has shown that physical activity improves cognitive performance and memory , including the ability to learn, manage stress and make better decisions.

Tips for staying active to enhance cognitive thinking: Keep track of daily steps, using a pedometer or fitness tracker. Take daily walks. Do group exercise.