by Susan Tannen
Just as physical exercise maintains body tone, strength, and endurance, mental
exercising has positive conditioning effects for people of all ages. This
article describes a complete "mental workout"--daily exercises for the brain.
The good news
The decline in specific mental abilities believed to be associated with aging
such as memory loss, sluggish thinking, and blocks in problem- solving are not
inevitable if the brain remains challenged. In a major longitudinal study by the
National Institute of Mental Health in Philadelphia, men tested at age 81 were
compared with performance on the same tests they had taken at ages 75 and 70.
Researchers reported that the "pattern of decline of cognitive...capabilities
generally associated with advanced aging" was "neither extensive nor
consistent".
Other major studies on aging over the past 25 years (Svanborg and colleagues in
Sweden, Duke University, and the National Institute on Aging) support the
findings that "mental (and physical) decline with aging is not inevitable". Yet
we have all seen elderly people who unmistakably experience mental decline as
they grow older. What can be done to preserve (and enhance) mental fitness as we
grow older?
Use it or lose it
Not surprisingly, the same advice that we follow to achieve physical fitness
applies to mental fitness--"use it or lose it." Just as daily weight repetitions
in the gym or jogging strengthen certain muscle groups, mental exercises will
strengthen and enhance cognitive functions over time.
Monique Le Poncin, founder of the French National Institute for Research on the
Prevention of Cerebral Aging, has written a fascinating book called Brain
Fitness. By identifying the various mental abilities in the human
repertoire--perception, long- and short-term memory, and visuospatial,
structuralization, logic, and verbal abilities-- Le Poncin has "prescribed" an
exercise regimen designed to strengthen those areas that tend to become weak
over the lifespan. She advocates a technique of cerebral activation, which she
calls "brain fitness."
How "brain fitness" works
The goal of brain fitness is to revive certain mental abilities before they slow
down. In LePoncin's own words, "Our team does not claim to work miracles. We
simply develop the previously unknown fertility of land that had been lying
fallow." The exercises are simple and fun to do. And, by repeating the exercises
over several weeks time, real progress can be seen in a relatively short time.
Day-by-day activation
Try the following exercises when traveling to and from work, during lunch hour
and breaks, or while shopping and doing housework. They take only a few moments.
Combine different variations of these exercises each day. It's important to keep
a record of your progress. Use a small notebook or a dated daily diary, and note
especially where you seem to have problems. Then you can self-prescribe
exercises in those areas where you are the weakest.
Each of the following exercises is from Brain Fitness, and is categorized by the
specific mental ability it is designed to strengthen.
Exercise your perceptive abilities
The goal is to exercise perception in all five senses: sight, hearing, smell,
taste, and touch.
Sight. Each day, observe an object (a photograph, for example) or a
person you pass on the street. Draw it (or him or her) immediately. This
exercises short-term memory. At the end of the week, redraw the seven objects or
persons you have observed. This exercises long-term memory
Smell/Taste. When dining in a restaurant or at a friend's home, try to
identify the ingredients in the dishes you are served. Concentrate on the subtle
flavorings of herbs and spices. Ask the waiter or your host to verify your
perceptions.
Memory. Try to memorize the dishes offered on your favorite restaurant's
menu. To make the exercise more challenging, memorize the prices as well. At the
end of the day, recall as many of the dishes/prices as you can and write them
down.
Hearing. On the telephone, practice recognizing callers before they
identify themselves. Then memorize callers' phone numbers. At the end of the
day, write down the people you have spoken with that day, as well as their phone
numbers. At the end of the week, try writing down as many of these as you can.
Smell/Touch. Exercise your senses of smell and touch by trying to
identify objects with your eyes closed.
Exercise your visuospatial abilities
Visuospatial abilities are related to the ability to make quick and accurate
estimates of distances, areas, and volumes -- the general proportions of things
and their distribution in space. Try the following:
- When you walk into a room with a group of people in it, try to quickly determine how many are on your right and your left, as well as the left-right distribution of furniture and other objects.
- Observe objects--pens, for instance--and try to estimate their length and thickness.
- When you have visited somewhere and then return home, try to draw a plan or map of the place you have seen. Repeat this exercise the next day and the day after.
Exercise your structuralization ability
Structuralization involves building a logical whole from disparate elements
after close observation of the elements. The following exercises will strengthen
this ability.
- Take a sentence from a magazine or newspaper. (This is a logical whole.) Try to make another sentence using the same words.
- Buy a jigsaw puzzle and practice fitting the pieces together as quickly as possible. Note the time it takes you to do this. Do it again a week later and note the time it takes to do it.
Exercise your logic abilities
Logic is the art of reasoning--finding an orderly sequence for disparate
elements. The following exercises/activities will awaken the inherently logical
being inside of you.
Don't use a list when shopping. Instead, invent a system to take the place of
the list. Use memory aids, such as forming a complete word, or one that can be
completed by adding a certain vowel or consonant from the first letters of the
words for the things you need to buy. Or, you can classify foods into raw and
cooked. Or, use any other system that works for you.
All games involve logical activities. Card games such as pinochle and bridge or
board games of strategy such as chess or checkers are good choices. So are
crossword puzzles anagrams, and other word games.
Avoid playing the same games all the time. Chess players might switch to GoTMor
OthelloTM, while bridge players might play whist or hearts. Playing the same
game all the time leads to routine, which is the opposite of activation. The
same cerebral circuits and neuronal regions are constantly used and everything
else remains unused.
Find new games and interests. Explore activities that are completely new to you
and find new partners for old--and new--games and activities.
Exercise your verbal abilities
Verbal abilities--the precise use of spoken or written words--make demands on
short-term and long-term memory.
Listen to the morning news on the radio or TV. During the day, write down the
main points of the news that you remember. Do the same in the evening.
Whenever you meet someone, try to come up with at least one anagram of his or
her name. When you see a word--any word--quickly think of others that begin with
the same two letters.
Each time you come to the end of a chapter in a book you are reading, imagine
that you must summarize it as briefly as possible, orally or in writing, to
someone who has not read it. Do the same for the whole book when you finish it.
Creating the "mentally fit" lifestyle
Le Poncin points out that doing mental exercises are not the end of mental
fitness training.
She stresses the importance--especially for older people--of overcoming monotony
and routine in our daily lives. Monotony generates mental (and emotional)
lethargy and resignation. The antidote here is to organize your life in such a
way that you become involved and open yourself to others through dialogue,
interaction, and confrontation..
Remember--failing memory and sluggish thinking are not inevitable cohorts of
aging. You have the ability to maximize your cognitive skills and enhance your
older years.
Further reading