Let’s dive into what neuroscientists and psychologists focused on aging well have to say about the best brain exercises for keeping your mind sharp through the decades. “When we learn something new, then we get the direct benefit of that new learning but also global benefits in the brain in our executive functioning such as emotional regulation, complex problem solving, creative thinking, etc.,” Swart adds. Elaine O’Brien, Ph.D., human movement psychology expert and co-author of The Power of Play: Optimize Your Joy Potential, cites what’s known as the “theory of multiple intelligences” to further explain how brain games work. When we use strategy to solve puzzles or play thinking games, we engage our linguistic-verbal intelligence and put thoughts and feelings into words. This helps develop our cognition and creativity. “Intellectual play and games involving problem-solving, thinking, and practicing new mental skills can teach us how things work in the world. There is an activation of concentration, strategy, and active thinking during playtime,” says O’Brien. Swart adds that it’s important to play brain games throughout your life1—not just when you’re in school or when you reach older age. “Brain cells can start to shrink or die in your 20s2, so the age to start challenging your brain is when you are not naturally learning [as many new things],” she says. For a general rule of thumb on when to prioritize different types of brain exercise, neurologists Dean Sherzai, M.D., and Ayesha Sherzai, M.D., directors of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University, previously told mindbodygreen that it may be helpful to focus on attention in your 20s, memory in your 30s, and executive function in your 40s and beyond. Here are four brain-stimulating exercises that are engaging, enjoyable, and sustainable throughout the decades of your life: “Brain HQ and Cognifit have been shown to have benefits for cognitive function6 (thinking, memory, etc).” These games and apps are built to increase in difficulty and are easy to engage in daily, especially since they are easily accessible on your phone. “One of the things that I love more than anything else when I’m with people my age is how we laugh about how we can’t wear high heel shoes anymore, or we go upstairs and then we forget why we’re there,” says Cole. She found this reflected in her research, observing focus groups of women thriving in their eighth decade. There was a shared feeling of relief to talk about these changes, and universal in these focus groups was the discussion of changes in memory. One way to get started playing for the sake of your brain? Move your body to music. In O’Brien’s research on active older women participating in a community dance exercise class, the combination of music and dance brought people together. “Music moves us physically and emotionally and improves our cognition and brain function at every age and stage of our life,” she concludes.
