According to researchers, you can boost your memory and improve other mental functions by becoming a student of a new language at any time in your life.

Plus, it can also help center you when life seems out of balance. Taking up a regular practice of tai chi can help reduce stress, enhance sleep quality, and improve memory. A study found that long-term tai chi practice could induce structural changes in the brain, resulting in an increase in brain volume.

Beginners do best by taking a class to learn the different movements. But once you know the basics, you can practice tai chi anywhere, anytime. The next time you interact with someone, take note of four things about them.

Maybe you observe the color of their shirt or pants. Are they wearing glasses? Do they have a hat on, and if so, what kind of hat? What color is their hair? Once you decide on four things to remember, make a mental note, and come back to it later in the day. Write down what you remember about those four details.

Focusing on your brain health is one of the best things you can do to improve your concentration, focus, memory, and mental agility, no matter what age you are.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Practicing certain lifestyle habits may help boost your intelligence and stimulate your brain. Research has shown that when done regularly, these….

Constantly dream of romance? Fixate on thoughts of your partner? Feel a need to always be in love? Learn why — and why this isn't an "addiction. Toxic femininity, or behavior that aligns with patriarchal beliefs about what women should and shouldn't do, can affect your well-being.

Here's how. A new study, released this week has found that death rates are increased for people with obesity who are also socially isolated and lonely. A new study finds a type of psychedelic called ibogaine may help people with traumatic brain injury. In the study 30 male Special Operations Forces….

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Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Sara Lindberg — Updated on February 17, Participants allocated to the CON group received no intervention and were instructed to maintain their usual daily activities during the study period.

Outcome assessments were performed at baseline, after 12 weeks of the intervention mid-assessment , and upon completion of the week intervention post-assessment. All assessments were conducted the same day in a quiet room.

The assessors were blinded for group allocation. They had no roles in participant enrollment and randomization. Assessments for cognitive function were performed in the following order: 1 MoCA-HK Verbal Fluency test from MoCA-HK , 2 min Delay Recall Test, 3 Digit-Span Forward Test, 4 Digit-Span Backward Test, 5 Trail Making Test Part A, 6 Trail Making Test Part B, 7 Victoria Stroop Test Dot condition , 8 Victoria Stroop Test Word condition , 9 Victoria Stroop Test Interference condition , and 10 N-back Task.

Assessments for sleep, quality of life, and physical performance were performed after completion of the neurocognitive assessments in the following order: 1 Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, 2 item Short Form Survey, 3 Five Times Chair Stand Test, and 4 Single Leg Stand Test. The whole assessment session lasted approximately 1 h and 15 min.

Considering that mild cognitive impairment and dementia are usually diagnosed by global cognitive performance, we selected MoCA-HK to assess global cognitive function as the primary outcome due to its high clinical relevance. A higher MoCA-HK score indicates better global cognitive function.

Participants were considered to have reached a clinically relevant improvement in their global cognitive function if they showed an increase in MoCA-HK that exceeds the minimal clinically important difference which is defined as the minimal change that significantly attenuates a given disease condition 32 i.

The secondary outcomes were changes in cognitive domains including executive function, memory, attention, and language. Long-term memory was assessed by the min Delay Recall Test using the word list from the Delay Recall Test section of the Chinese abbreviated mild cognitive impairment test The min Delay Recall Test started with three learning trials.

In each trial, the assessor would read out a word list and participants were immediately asked to recall the 10 words. After completion of the learning trials, participants were asked to recall the 10 words after 30 min. The number of words successfully recalled by participants was recorded.

Short-term memory and working memory were assessed using the forward and backward subsets of the Digit Span Test, respectively The backward span test was performed followed by the completion of the forward span test. Participants were asked to repeat the sequence in the forward span in the same order and repeat the backward span in the reverse order.

There were two trials at each level and the difficulty was increased by adding an extra digit at each level. Participants were required to complete both trials even if they did not successfully recall the sequence in the first trial.

The forward span began with a 3-digit sequence whereas the backward span started with a 2-digit sequence. The test was terminated when participants failed both trials at the same difficulty level. The maximum number of digits in the sequence that participants successfully recalled and the total number of successful trials were recorded as the length and span scores.

While the N-back task usually considered as an assessment of working memory, a recent study demonstrated that the performance of the N-Back task in older population was associated with attention, verbal memory, updating, and executive processes Therefore, the N-back task was used to assess attention, executive function in addition to a unitary working memory function.

The N-back Task was administered by computer using the Psychology Experiment Building Language PEBL test battery Participants were presented with a series of visual stimuli and asked to response whether a stimulus matched a stimulus 1 trial before in the 1-back condition and 2 trials before in the 2-back condition.

The correctness of each response and the reaction time in each trial were recorded. Executive function was assessed by the Trail Making Test TMT using the paper version of a modified protocol 40 , The modified TMT consisted of two parts: Part A reflects visual perception performance 42 and included nine circled Arabic numbers randomly arranged on the test sheet, whereas Part B reflects working memory and task-switching performance 42 and included nine circled Arabic numbers and nine Chinese numbers randomly arranged on the test sheet.

Participants were required to connect all the numbers in ascending order in Part A i. The time required for participants to finish connecting all dots in each part was recorded.

Participants were given a trial run to familiarize them with each part of the test before actual testing. The Part B-A difference score is indicative of executive control, which is the ability to execute goal-directed behaviors by orchestrating complex mental processes and cognitive abilities The Part B-A difference score was calculated by subtracting the time required to complete Part A from that of Part B Executive function consists of executive control and cognitive flexibility but regulation of these subdomains do not necessarily share the same neural patterns or inter-regions connectivity it has been proposed that the specific computations i.

Attention and language ability were assessed using the Chinese version of the Victoria Stroop Test 48 and Verbal Fluency Test, respectively. The Victoria Stroop Test consists of three subtasks with different conditions: the dot condition, the word condition, and the interference condition.

The stimuli in each condition were printed on A4 paper in blue, green, red, or yellow. The stimuli of the dot condition consisted of dots, the stimuli of the word condition consisted of common words unrelated to the concept of colors, and the stimuli of the interference condition consisted of the actual names of the colors i.

Each card contained six rows of four items in the four colors arranged in a pseudo-random order within the array. Each of the four colors was used six times, with each color appearing once per row.

Participants were asked to name the color of the ink that the stimulus was printed in, while also disregarding the word content.

The completion time and number of errors in each condition were recorded. In the Verbal Fluency Test, participants were asked to name as many animals as possible in 1 min.

The number of non-repeated animals was recorded. Muscle strength, balance, health-related quality of life, and sleep quality were monitored during the study period.

Lower limb muscle strength was examined by the Five Times Chair Stand Test Balance was assessed by the Single Leg Stand Test with the eyes open The health-related quality of life, mood, and subjective sleep quality were assessed by the item Short Form Survey SF 51 , Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale HADS 52 , and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index PSQI 53 , respectively.

At the end of each training session, instructors asked the participants if there were any adverse events. The research personnel responsible for making the assessment appointments also asked the participants if there were any adverse events during the phone call for making assessment appointment and after each assessment session.

A significant group-by-time interaction indicated a difference in the intervention-mediated changes among interventions by time. All statistical analyses were performed using R Version 4. The between group effect size, refers to the difference in within group effect size between the two groups at a given time point, are presented.

To calculate the within group effect size of a group, the mean at baseline was subtracted from its counterpart at a time point of interest, and then divided by the pooled standard deviation of the two time points. Participant recruitment was conducted from October to August The baseline characteristics of participants are summarized in Table 1.

After screening recruits, 37 out of 53 eligible participants agreed to participate in our study Fig. The interventions were started within 1 month after the baseline assessment. All participants in the CON group also participated in the mid- and post-assessments.

One participant in the EX group dropped out due to personal reasons and did not participate in any further assessments. Two participants in the TC group did not attend the Tai Chi training or subsequent assessments because of personal reasons or time conflicts.

Data collection was completed by February and no adverse events were recorded in the study. The baseline characteristics of the three groups are similar. Given that clinical relevant difference, by definition, requires a minimum difference of 4 points in MoCA-HK 33 , 34 , 35 , there were no clinically relevant difference observed in the baseline global cognitive function among the studied groups.

The attendance rate i. EX: The cognitive performances are summarized in Table 2. Overall, there were no significant differences in TMT Part A scores. At mid-assessment, there were no significant differences in TMT Part B and Part B-A difference scores. At post-assessment, both interventions elicited robust improvements in TMT Part B scores TC vs.

However, there were no significant differences in the improvements in Part B and Part B-A difference scores between interventions groups.

Both interventions were associated with significant improvements in the min Delay Recall Test compared with CON at mid-assessment TC vs.

There was no significant difference in the length of the Digit Span Forward at mid-assessment. However, both EX and TC demonstrated profound improvements in the length of the Digit Span Forward compared to CON at post-assessment TC vs.

There were increases in the score of the Digit Span Forward in both EX and TC compared with CON at mid-assessment TC vs. There were also no significant differences in the length and score of the Digit Span Backward. There were no significant differences in the reaction time and correction rate of either the 1-back or 2-back test of the N-back Tasks.

There were no significant differences in the number of errors and the completion time of the Victoria Stroop Test under the dot and word conditions.

There was also no significant difference in the number of errors in the Victoria Stroop Test under the interference condition. Overall, there were no significant differences in the Verbal Fluency Test. The results of the physical performance, mood, quality of life, and sleep assessments are summarized in Table 3.

There was no significant difference in left Single Leg Stand Test. At post-assessment, both TC and EX showed more improvements in the right Single Leg Stand Test compared with CON TC vs.

At mid-assessment, there was no significant difference in the anxiety score of HADS. At post-assessment, both intervention groups exhibited significant improvements compared with CON TC vs.

Both interventions led to significant reductions in the depression score of HADS relative to CON at mid-assessment TC vs. At mid-assessment, the physical component score of SF did not differ among all groups. At post-assessment, both intervention groups showed significant improvements in the physical component score of SF compared with CON TC vs.

No significant differences in the mental component summary of the SF and PSQI were observed. Given the current available evidence that shows Tai Chi and conventional exercise induce changes in the brain through different mechanisms 16 that lead to different structural and functional brain adaptions 19 , 20 , it is conceivable that these two exercise modalities confer different effects on global cognitive function and on specific cognitive domains.

The present study directly compared the effects of the two exercise modalities on improving global cognitive function and on particular cognitive domains. After 12 weeks of intervention, Tai Chi, but not conventional exercise, provoked a clinically relevant improvement in global cognitive function i.

Both exercise groups exhibited significantly larger improvements in global cognitive function compared with the control but it is worth-noting that the improvement was more profound in the Tai Chi group. Upon completion of the week intervention, both intervention groups manifested a clinically relevant improvement in global cognitive function and the improvements were significantly larger than that of the control group.

Tai Chi led to a more evident improvement in global cognitive function than conventional exercise but such difference did not reach statistical significance. Furthermore, both interventions improved executive function, cognitive flexibility, long-term memory, short term memory, and attention after 24 weeks.

On the other hand, conventional exercise showed earlier improvements on attention than Tai Chi. Our data in line with existing reports that both interventions can improve cognitive function. The present findings have demonstrated the differential effects of different exercise modalities on global cognitive function and cognitive flexibility, but not memory.

The practical guidelines of the American Association of Neurology suggest a 6-month exercise program with a frequency of two sessions weekly can improve cognitive function in patients with MCI, but there are no specific recommendations on the exercise modality 5.

Here, we showed that conventional exercise and Tai Chi significantly improved global cognitive function after only 12 weeks of the intervention, which could be ascribed to the more frequent training sessions in our protocol.

At the mid-assessment, Tai Chi resulted in more profound improvements on global cognitive function compared with conventional exercise. Moreover, Tai Chi, but not conventional exercise, showed an increase in MoCA-HK score that exceeded the defined score i.

Tai Chi elicited more rapid clinically relevant improvements on global cognitive function than conventional exercise, suggesting Tai Chi might benefit older adults with MCI with an earlier amelioration of the cognitive decline and would prevent related daily function impairments.

After 24 weeks of intervention, both exercise modalities induced clinically relevant improvements in global cognitive function, which supports the recommendation of a 6-month exercise intervention period by the American Association of Neurology. Risk factors including poor sleep, depression, anxiety, and metabolic abnormalities are known to increase the risk of progression from MCI to dementia In line with the existing data, we demonstrated that the two exercise modalities could attenuate depression and anxiety scores in HADS.

The beneficial effects of conventional exercise and Tai Chi on sleep is also well documented Our observation that neither intervention led to improved sleep quality may be due to the low baseline PSQI scores.

Taken together, both exercise interventions were able to enhance cognitive function, making them promising interventions for preventing cognitive decline and possibly reducing the risk of progression from MCI to dementia.

Although the differences in the improvements on global cognitive function between the two intervention groups became less evident after 24 weeks of intervention, Tai Chi tended to show more profound improvements. Further studies with larger sample sizes will be needed to substantiate the superior effectiveness and long-term benefits of Tai Chi compared with conventional exercise.

This data supports the notion that conventional exercise and Tai Chi manifest different effects on global cognitive function and cognitive domains of interest. Indeed, the two types of exercise differ in the mode of training. Conventional exercise emphasizes fitness training with simple repetitive movements, whereas Tai Chi emphasizes motor training through the practice of specific body movements with the incorporation of meditation Unlike fitness training that was found to improve global cognition by enhancing cardiorespiratory fitness, motor training has been shown to induce task-specific changes in the brain Therefore, the two exercise modalities induce specific brain adaptations by distinct mechanisms, which might account for our observations on the affected cognitive domains and different improvement rates.

It should be noted that TMT requires cooperation of several cognitive domains Given that the physical activity intensity was comparable between the two exercise modalities in the present study, the greater improvements on cognitive flexibility induced by Tai Chi could be ascribed to its specific motor training and added meditation element.

Cognitive flexibility refers to the ability to switch between different mental sets, thoughts, tasks, or strategies 58 , and is required for task-switching and multi-tasking Conventional exercises largely consist of simple, repetitive movements, whereas specific motor planning is necessary to ensure the smooth execution of successive complex movements in Tai Chi.

Besides, previous studies showed that meditation alone is sufficient to enhance task-switching performance and cognitive flexibility 60 , This supports the incorporation of meditation and the cognitive demands of motor planning during Tai Chi practice to facilitate the improvements on cognitive flexibility.

Taken together, intricate motor training in conjunction with meditation in Tai Chi might lead to earlier and more significant improvements on cognitive flexibility. Considering that each executive function subdomain is associated with a specific computation among the execution function-related brain regions 45 , we speculate that Tai Chi may enhance the specific computation of the brain regions related to cognitive flexibility in a more profound manner than conventional exercise, whereas the two exercise modalities induced similar enhancements of the specific computations of the brain regions related to other executive function subdomains.

This may account for the more evident improvement in cognitive flexibility in the Tai Chi group, but similar improvements in other executive function subdomains induced by Tai Chi and conventional exercise observed in this study. However, further studies are needed to confirm this notion. At post-assessment, both exercise modalities improved all the assessed cognitive domains, except the language domain assessed by verbal fluency.

Collectively, our data are congruent with the documented guidelines and suggests that 24 weeks of exercise intervention is required to confer significant improvements in any given cognitive domain regardless of the exercise modality.

Although Tai Chi provoked more prominent improvement on global cognitive function than conventional exercise, there were no significant differences in the assessed cognitive domains between the two intervention groups except for cognitive flexibility.

However, this single significant change might not be sufficient to explain the superiority of Tai Chi over conventional exercise on improving global cognitive function.

Contrary to previous observations in healthy adults, the improvements in memory and the executive function subdomains besides cognitive flexibility induced by Tai Chi and conventional exercise were not significantly different in older adults with MCI.

Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the effect sizes of Tai Chi on task-switching, executive control, and long term memory, measured by TMT Part B, TMT Part B-A minus score, and min Delay recall Test, respectively, were larger than the conventional exercise counterparts, with small to moderate differences in magnitude i.

Although Tai Chi appear to modulate these domains in a more pronounced manner compared with conventional exercise, the small sample sizes possibly prevented these improvements from reaching statistical significance. Both memory and executive function consist of an array of subdomains, but how these subdomains are modulated by the two exercise modalities remains to be deciphered.

Moreover, as only executive function, memory, attention and language were assessed and reported as secondary outcomes, we cannot exclude the possibility that the other cognitive domains not assessed in this pilot study might contribute to more profound improvements in global cognitive function induced by the Tai Chi intervention.

Notably, executive function, memory, and orientation have a larger weight relative to other assessed domains in MoCA-HK. Therefore, alterations in these cognitive domains likely lead to a considerable change in the MoCA-HK score due to their inherent and significant impact on the test 62 , 63 , which should be considered when interpreting the results.

Our current findings will need to be validated in future studies with an adequate sample size, and the subdomains of executive function and memory should be comprehensively assessed along with the other cognitive domains not studied in the present work.

There are some limitations in the present study that need to be considered when interpreting the results. First, participants were advised to avoid gathering in groups because of the COVID pandemic. Six off-site sessions were organized for the conventional exercise training, which required self-practicing while following the instructions of the respective teaching videos.

Notably, we observed no significant differences in both the effectiveness of the instruction delivery and perceived exertion between video and face-to-face sessions Supplementary Table 3. Therefore, we believe that the face-to-face and video sessions are equally effective. Second, this study excluded individuals with major diseases to avoid confounding factors on cognitive impairment that may be due to an underlying illness.

However, we cannot rule out the possibility that there might be conditions that remained undiagnosed at the time of recruitment.

Third, social activities are beneficial to cognitive function 64 , 65 , Participants in the intervention groups are exposed to interactions with the instructors and their fellow participants, thereby contributing to the observed improvement in cognitive function.

However, the social interaction level of participants in the control group was not examined. Nonetheless, this did not affect the interpretation of the differences between the two exercise interventions.

Fourth, it has been demonstrated in animal models that environmental enrichment is beneficial to cognitive function. A trip to the intervention venue may possibly increase the exposure of the environmental stimuli, both visual and auditory, and contributed to the observed larger improvement in cognitive function in the intervention groups compared with the control group.

However, this should not affect the interpretation of the difference in effectiveness between the two intervention groups.

Fifth, this study assessed only four cognitive domains memory, attention, executive function, and language out of the six key cognitive domains the above four plus perceptual-motor function and social cognition defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition Although we did not directly measure perceptual-motor function, static and dynamic balance were assessed by Single Leg Stand Test and Five Times Chair Stand Test, respectively Considering that static and dynamic balance is associated with perceptual-motor function 69 , a corresponding improvement in perceptual function will likely accompany improvements in static and dynamic balance in both intervention groups.

However, improvements in balance ability may not fully address the effects of conventional exercise and Tai Chi on perceptual-motor function. Further in-depth studies and direct assessments are needed to evaluate the differences between these two exercise modalities on improving these domains.

Sixth, our preliminary data obtained after 12 weeks of intervention support the notion that these two exercise modalities manifest different efficacies on global cognitive function and cognitive flexibility.

Further studies with an adequate sample size are needed to confirm the differences in long-term benefits between the two exercise modalities. Moreover, studies dissecting the respective underlying mechanisms of Tai Chi and conventional exercise on improving cognitive function and the respective changes induced in the brain are warranted to understand the beneficial effects of the two exercise modalities thoroughly.

In conclusion, both conventional exercise and Tai Chi improved global cognitive function and the performance of all the tested cognitive domains except for language after 24 weeks of intervention. Tai Chi conferred clinically relevant improvement on global cognitive function and improved cognitive flexibility more quickly and as early as after 12 weeks of intervention, whereas conventional exercise led to more rapid improvements in attention.

These findings indicate the two exercise modalities have different effects on improving global cognitive function and cognitive domains.

Compared with conventional exercise, the more immediate improvements in cognitive performance by Tai Chi training might benefit older adults with MCI, however, further investigations are needed to compare the effects of the two exercise modalities in a long-term intervention setting.

Cahill, S. Aging Ment. Health 24 , — Article PubMed Google Scholar. Collaborators, G. Lancet Neurol. Article Google Scholar. Kivipelto, M. et al. World-Wide FINGERS Network: A global approach to risk reduction and prevention of dementia.

Alzheimers Dement 16 , — Lai, X. Aging Neurosci. Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar. Petersen, R. Practice guideline update summary: Mild cognitive impairment: report of the guideline development, dissemination, and implementation subcommittee of the american academy of neurology.

Neurology 90 , — Shimada, H. Reversible predictors of reversion from mild cognitive impairment to normal cognition: a 4-year longitudinal study.

Alzheimers Res. Lam, L. Maintaining long-term adherence to lifestyle interventions for cognitive health in late life. To be most effective, cognitive activities and exercises should involve as much novelty as possible. To find the right activities, a positive psychology, strengths-based approach might be useful.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. About the author Dr. Jeffrey Gaines earned a Ph. in clinical psychology from Pennsylvania State University in He sees clinical psychology as a practical extension of philosophy and specializes in neuropsychology — having been board-certified in Jeffrey is currently Clinical Director at Metrowest Neuropsychology in Westborough, MA.

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This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Video 6 Effective ways to improve cognitive ability. References Aidman, E. Cognitive fitness framework: Towards assessing, training and augmenting individual-difference factors underpinning high-performance cognition.

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , Cognitive assessment. Clinic-friendly screening for cognitive and mental health problems in school-aged youth with epilepsy. Bart, R. The assessment and measurement of wellness in the clinical medical setting: A systematic review. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience , 15 9—10 , 14— Bickart, K.

Amygdala volume and social network size in humans. Nature Neuroscience , 14 2 , — Brilliant T, D. Does video gaming have impacts on the brain: Evidence from a systematic review. Brain Sciences , 9 10 , Desai, A. Recognition and management of behavioral disturbances in dementia. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , 3 3 , 93— Diener, E.

Positive psychology: Past, present, and future. Snyder Eds. Oxford University Press. DeKosky, S. Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: A randomized controlled trial.

Journal of the American Medical Association , 19 , — Devore, E. Dietary antioxidants and long-term risk of dementia. Archives of Neurology , 67 7 , — Eichenbaum, H. The hippocampus, memory, and place cells: Is it spatial memory or a memory space?

Neuron, 23 2 , —

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. Get enough sleep Good quality sleep, and enough of it ideally seven to nine hours each night , helps put people in a better mood and gives them the energy they need for the day. Sleep is also critical for helping store memories, solve problems and concentrate.

Tips for getting enough sleep to enhance cognitive thinking: Avoid using a screen before bedtime including phones and laptops. Sleep according to a natural sleep cycle. Tips for engaging socially to enhance cognitive thinking: Stay in touch with friends and family regularly via phone or in person.

Make regular times to visit people. Where possible, live near other people. Tips for practising mindfulness to enhance cognitive thinking: Take time daily to meditate.

Regularly walk in nature. Write in a gratitude journal. Try new things One great way to improve cognitive thinking is to try new things.

Tips for trying new things to enhance cognitive thinking: Make an effort to regularly try a new hobby or activity. When doing routine tasks, for example, taking a walk, try a new route.

Try varying other daily habits, for example, cooking new meals. Learn a new language Learning a new language can greatly assist cognitive thinking as it helps individuals understand how to communicate in a completely different way.

Tips for learning a new language to enhance cognitive thinking: Download a language application and regularly commit to practising. Attend a language school. Travel and live overseas, if possible.

Play games 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. Games that are particularly good for enhancing cognitive thinking skills include the following: Crossword puzzles Sudoku Chess Bridge.

Improve your cognition for a better life Your brain will become stronger and work better with enhanced use.

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Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , Cognitive assessment. Clinic-friendly screening for cognitive and mental health problems in school-aged youth with epilepsy. Bart, R.

The assessment and measurement of wellness in the clinical medical setting: A systematic review. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience , 15 9—10 , 14— Bickart, K. Amygdala volume and social network size in humans.

Nature Neuroscience , 14 2 , — Brilliant T, D. Does video gaming have impacts on the brain: Evidence from a systematic review. Brain Sciences , 9 10 , Desai, A. Recognition and management of behavioral disturbances in dementia.

Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , 3 3 , 93— Diener, E. Positive psychology: Past, present, and future.

Snyder Eds. Oxford University Press. DeKosky, S. Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association , 19 , — Devore, E. Dietary antioxidants and long-term risk of dementia. Archives of Neurology , 67 7 , — Eichenbaum, H. The hippocampus, memory, and place cells: Is it spatial memory or a memory space?

Neuron, 23 2 , — Fissler, P. Jigsaw puzzling taps multiple cognitive abilities and is a potential protective factor for cognitive aging. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience , 10 , Gestuvo, M. Common dietary supplements for cognitive health. Aging Health , 8 1 , 89— Godman, H. Simple, low-cost, low-tech brain training.

Harvard Health Blog. Six steps to cognitive health. Bilingualism, mind, and brain. Annual Review of Linguistics , 1 , — McMahon, J. A controlled trial of homocysteine lowering and cognitive performance.

New England Journal of Medicine , 26 , — Park, D. Culture wires the brain: A cognitive neuroscience perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science , 5 4 , — Pike, N. Validity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Screener in adolescents and young adults with and without congenital heart disease.

Nursing Research , 66 3 , — Proffitt, R. Novák, B. Brendryen Eds. IGI Global. Qato, D. Use of prescription and over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements among older adults in the United States.

The same study also found that a game of cards could improve memory and thinking skills. A rich vocabulary has a way of making you sound smart. But did you know you can also turn a quick vocab lesson into a stimulating brain game?

Research shows that many more regions of the brain are involved in vocabulary tasks, particularly in areas that are important for visual and auditory processing.

To test this theory, try this cognitive-boosting activity:. In other words, bust a move on the dance floor and your brain will thank you. A research report suggests that using all your senses may help strengthen your brain. To give your senses and your brain a workout, try doing activities that simultaneously engage all five of your senses.

Learning a new skill is not only fun and interesting, but it may also help strengthen the connections in your brain. Research from also shows that learning a new skill can help improve memory function in older adults.

You now have one more good reason to learn that new skill. After you learn a new skill, you need to practice it. Teaching it to someone else requires you to explain the concept and correct any mistakes you make. For example, learn to swing a golf club, then teach the steps to a friend.

Do you want an easy way to increase your creative brain power? The answer may lie in turning on some music. According to a study , listening to happy tunes helps generate more innovative solutions compared to being in silence. Which means, cranking up some feel-good music can help boost your creative thinking and brain power.

And if you want to learn how to play music , now is a great time to start because your brain is capable of learning new skills at any point in your life.

Instead, be willing to try new ways to do the same things. Choose a different route to get to work each week or try a different mode of transport, like biking or using public transport instead of driving. Your brain can benefit from this simple change, and you might be surprised by how easy it is to change your thinking.

Daily meditation can calm your body, slow your breathing, and reduce stress and anxiety. A review of research has overwhelmingly proven the many cognitive benefits of being able to speak more than one language. According to numerous studies, bilingualism can contribute to better memory, improved visual-spatial skills, and higher levels of creativity.

Being fluent in more than one language may also help you switch more easily between different tasks, and delay the onset of age-related mental decline. According to researchers, you can boost your memory and improve other mental functions by becoming a student of a new language at any time in your life.

Plus, it can also help center you when life seems out of balance. Taking up a regular practice of tai chi can help reduce stress, enhance sleep quality, and improve memory. A study found that long-term tai chi practice could induce structural changes in the brain, resulting in an increase in brain volume.

Beginners do best by taking a class to learn the different movements. But once you know the basics, you can practice tai chi anywhere, anytime. The next time you interact with someone, take note of four things about them.

Maybe you observe the color of their shirt or pants. Are they wearing glasses? Do they have a hat on, and if so, what kind of hat?