There’s a reason a lot of us are creatures of habit who stick to our routines. They give us structure, consistency, and a sense of comfort as we manage our crazy-busy lives. When we get into a groove that works with work, family obligations, school, meetings, and everything else we have going on, we tend to keep it going. But it’s also important to step out of our comfort zones every now and then, not just because it keeps life interesting, but because it’s good for our brains.
A newstudyfrom the University of South Florida suggests that being exposed to a range of diverse activities during adulthood can boost brain function and slow down the signs of cognitive aging, like memory loss. Researchers surveyed 732 participants on how often they engaged in typical daily activities, including paid work, time with children, leisure activities and physical activities. And 10 years later, they interviewed the same folks about their activities again and tested their cognitive capabilities, like memory span, speed of processing, and reasoning.
The results show people who participated in a wider range of activities, or whose schedules weren’t exactly the same every day scored higher in cognitive functioning than those who stuck to an identical routine. So basically, the older you get, the more important it is to maintain an active lifestyle and to mix up your schedule in order to have a happy, healthy brain.
Source:Real Simple