Boosting Cognitive Powers Through Social Activity
As we move through the seasons and changes on this journey of life, there can come a time when we are working less, there’s fewer people in the house, and life starts to finally be a bit less constrained. This is one of the most important transitions in life, and it is the time of life when we can more fully develop our relationships with family, friends, and community, take those trips we have dreamed of, or give of our time to a cause we are passionate about. Research has shown that engaging in social activities can have a profound and positive impact on our cognitive powers and can even help prevent cognitive decline as we age.
True Joy Results When We Become Aware of Our Connectedness to Everything
Before delving into the positive effects of social engagement on cognitive powers, it’s important to understand the concept of neuroplasticity. Our brain has an incredible ability to adapt and change throughout our life. It’s a complex process that involves making new neural connections, the strengthening of existing connections, and the pruning of unused connections. Neuroplasticity makes it possible for us to continue learning, have a strong memory, and recover from injury or cognitive decline. Social interactions play a significant role in stimulating neuroplasticity and supporting the creation of new neurons and neural networks which leads to a strong mind.
Strong Social Connections for a Strong Mind
As we age, our brain naturally undergoes changes that can sometimes lead to cognitive decline. One key component of healthy aging is building what is called “cognitive reserve,” which is the brain’s ability to improvise and find alternative ways to get things done. This reserve serves as a buffer against age-related cognitive decline. Fortunately, one of the best and easiest ways to develop cognitive reserve is through social activities and being engaged in life. There is compelling evidence that developing and maintaining social connections is just as important as physical activity and a healthy diet. Social activities require us to engage several important mental processes, including attention and memory, and strengthen neural networks which help to slow age-related cognitive decline.
CogniStrength understands how crucial it is to support you in creating strong social bonds and participating in activities that stimulate your brain. In our Let’s Play blogs, we provide resources to help you find group outings, discussion groups, fitness classes, and ways to learn new skills. In today’s digital age, technology can facilitate social connections even when physical distance separates us. CogniStrength will teach you how to embrace technology so you can meet with people through the Internet, play online games such as bridge, Words With Friends, and Scrabble, and participate in virtual events.
Volunteering and Giving Back
Giving of time to your community or non-profit group is a wonderful way to contribute your skills and talents, as well as make new social connections. United Health commissioned a national survey of 3,351 adults and found that the overwhelming majority of participants reported feeling mentally and physically healthier after a volunteer experience. This study found 94 percent of people who volunteered in the last twelve months said volunteering improved their mood and enriched their sense of purpose in life. Another study found that volunteers had a 20 percent lower risk of death than their peers who do not volunteer. This decrease was mainly due to volunteers having lower levels of depression, increased life satisfaction, and enhanced well-being,
CogniStrength believes so much in volunteering and philanthropy work that we have our own non-profit organization called Someday Is Now. On our Let’s Play blog section, we will provide you resources on how to join a non-profit board of advisors, find volunteer opportunites with non-profit organizations, and what kind of non-profit Foundations are in your city. We also will write about how to participate in “voluntourism” where you can combine travel to exciting places with your passion for giving back to a community.
A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions
Our Commitment To YOU
CogniStrength is committed to bringing you information that provides solutions for you to develop a fulfilling and inspiring social life. The most important yet least recognized need of most humans is to have a sense of belonging to one another, to our friends and families, to our country and to our world. We feel like life has more meaning when social relationships provide a sense of belonging. The cognitive benefit of social engagement is clear: social activity plays a vital role for enhancing cognitive reserves, improving cognitive functions, and stimulating neuroplasticity. Keeping our minds stimulated rewards us with improved memory, reduced stress, a better mental outlook, and puts us on the path for a long healthspan. So, get out there in life and play! Your brain will thank you for it!
The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.
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Together, We Got This
