Active Aging
When creativity, talent, tenacity, or sheer will combine with the human brain’s ability to adapt and learn new information, many people have proved age is just a number and have done amazing things after 60.
Renowned American folk artist Grandma Moses is a stellar example. She began painting to cope with her husband’s death and crippling arthritis that impeded her ability to continue her beloved hobby of embroidery. The creative turn launched a successful art career at 76 years old.
Cancer survivor Harriette Thompson started running marathons at 76 and became the oldest woman to finish a marathon in 2015 at 92 years and 93 days old. Legendary author Laura Ingalls Wilder published the first book in her iconic autobiographical “Little House” series at 65.
Whether you’re dreaming big and reaching for the stars at 60 and beyond, or simply curious or enthusiastic about learning something, enjoying a new pursuit has many benefits, including being good for your cognitive health.
Let’s explore the concept of neuroplasticity and how learning new things later in life impacts your brain and enriches your life.
What Is Neuroplasticity?
Billions of neurons collect, process, and send information throughout your brain, which also has a “complex network of electrical circuits that allow these neurons to ‘talk’ with one another,” notes the Mayo Clinic.
Neurons also send messages to other parts of the body via the nervous system. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to form and adapt this vast network of neural connections.
Mayo Clinic expert Prashanthi Vemuri, Ph.D., explains that an abundance of neurons in young people enables their brain to take in new information quickly and form neural connections (increased plasticity), which is why children can learn new languages more easily than adults.
The brain develops through the mid-to-late 20s and then slowly shrinks — and shrinks more after age 60. However, research shows neuroplasticity helps the brain adapt with fewer neurons and essentially allows a person to retrain their brain and acquire new skills, like learning a new language, regardless of age.
Ways to Maintain Your Brain Health
Maintaining your brain health is a critical part of healthy, active aging. Dr. Vermuri notes that getting enough sleep is essential for cognitive health, because as you sleep, your brain expels toxins. Other brain health strategies include:
- Exercise regularly.
- Limit alcohol consumption.
- Don’t smoke.
- Do brain puzzles like Wordle and Sudoku.
- Play an instrument, read, or learn a new skill.
- Maintain strong social connections.
Learning something new might seem daunting at first, but with practice and consistency, you may be surprised how much you enjoy it.
Cognitive Benefits of Learning New Things
Learning new things later in life has multiple benefits, including positive cognitive impacts.
For example, a three-month Scientific American intervention encouraged a learning environment for 33 older adults between 58 and 86 years old, testing cognitive abilities (including working memory and attention) before and after the program.
The study offered courses in singing, drawing, music composition, photography, learning Spanish, and iPad use. Participants attended three different two-hour classes every week to learn three new skills.
Results showed participants had significant improvement in memory and attention cognitive scores after completing the courses.
Central Connecticut State University explains that “each and every time we learn something new our brain forms new connections and neurons and makes existing neural pathways stronger or weaker.”
In this sense, learning also increases the brain’s plasticity. Learning and experiencing new things also:
- Transfers learning from short-term to long-term memory
- Triggers dopamine release
- Promotes myelin growth — and myelin makes neuron signals move faster
Learning Something New Enriches Life and Broadens Horizons
In addition to enhancing cognitive health, learning something new after 60 enriches your life and broadens your horizons. If you enroll in courses with others, it also offers an opportunity to meet new people and establish new friendships and social connections.
Road Scholar surveyed 1,000 retirees about the hobbies they tried in retirement, and some respondents mentioned the positive rewards they experienced.
For example, one participant discussed the benefits of joining four different book clubs, saying, “I enjoy the reading and the insights, friendships, and other viewpoints that come from club discussions.” Joining a book club in retirement can also encourage you to read books you otherwise wouldn’t read and can open doors to new experiences!”
Another talked about taking up photography, saying, “Photography has enlarged my ‘mental’ eye to see beyond the photo. It’s a constant learning process.”
Yet another is a volunteer docent at the National Underground Railway Freedom Center and enjoys conveying a message about how mostly unsung heroes used courage, cooperation, and perseverance to cause positive changes.
Whether you begin writing your novel, take a cooking class, travel and learn about different cultures, join a chess team, or start doing stand-up comedy, learning (and experiencing) something new after 60 will not only benefit your brain health but also enrich your life with fun, adventure, and other intangible rewards.
