Basic Pursuits

We have all heard that for body and mind, either use it or lose it, especially as we age.

Recently, a group of researchers at Yale experimented with groups of mice to test the use-it-or-lose-it hypothesis with respect to spatial memory. Here's the breakdown:

"For all of the experimental mice, spatial memory worsened with age. However, the various treatments differently affected the different age groups:

Exercise alone significantly improved the spatial memory of the young.

Both exercise alone and complex enrichment, but not cognitive stimulation alone, significantly improved memory among the middle aged.

For old mice, all enrichments (alone or combined) significantly improved performance."

In this study cognitive stimulation meant having a cage full of interesting things to do like fun toys. As you can see, both exercise and cognitive stimulation improve spatial memory in varying ways.

Are you in search of some cognitive stimulation? Sick of crossword puzzles and Sudoku? Why not give learning another language a try. With today's Internet there are many tools available, mostly for free.

Check out the language learning opportunities on this site. Here is a guy who tells how he learned French in ten months. And if you want a study-buddy abroad, check out Friends Abroad.