Intellectual engagement is keeping your brain sharp by learning throughout your life. Sharing what you have learned will not only consolidate this in your own mind but help others to grow and reach their potential. Spending time in self-reflection and critical thinking also sharpens the brain.

Did you know?

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The Facts

Being intellectually engaged, through academic, cultural, community, artistic and skill-based activities and learning, throughout life will enhance your well-being and give you a satisfying and purposeful life.^2,6

Older adults who intentionally engage in aerobic exercise, have a healthy diet and practice caloric restriction/intermittent fasting⁵ may prevent cognitive decline, by stimulating new neurons and reducing inflammation, oxidative damage, and amyloid build-up⁵

Engaging in stimulating intellectual activities strengthens the neural networks within the brain. Brains exhibiting loss of neurons are more likely to progress to Alzheimers disease from mild cognitive impairment.⁹

Recent research would suggest that acquiring intellectual gain over the lifetime can reduce the cognitive decline that comes with ageing.⁸

• Engaging in complex activities over the lifetime, such as, problem solving, reading complex novels and practising a musical instrument provides a higher starting point to protect from falling below the threshold for cognitive impairment.

What can we do about it

Engage in complex brain activities to improve your intellectual wellness (ISU 2014):

• Reading for fun can stretch your mind in directions other than reading for work.
• Debating an issue with a friend, and choosing the viewpoint opposite the one you hold will expand your reasoning and critical thinking.
• Explore things you have never done before.
• Be creative.
• Learn a foreign language.
• Playing a game of any kind and/or musical instrument extends your brains processing ability.
• Write down your thoughts or journal frequently to express and consolidate your feelings.
• Do crossword or other puzzles to keep your brain stimulated.
• Attend conferences, talks and programs to expand your knowledge (PU 2019).
• Learn practical skills that you or a friend may need.

Be physically active and eat a whole-foods plant based diet (Phillips 2017).

Practice a form of intermittent fasting that suits you e.g. 12-16 hour overnight fast every day or a 5-2 day fast,every week for enhanced brain function and longevity (Mattson et al. 2018)