In our 30s and 40s, our brain starts to shrink, with the shrinkage rate significantly increasing by age 60. You might notice that by forgetting your appointments, necessity to write things down, inability to concentrate for a long time etc. .

The good news is that you can exercise your brain to limit its shrinkage while getting older. To do this, you need to keep your basic brain structure in shape. In other words, pay attention to gray and white matter of your brain.

Gray matter consists of the nerve cells (neurons) and dendrites and represents information processing centers in the brain. On the other hand, white matter represents the network or connections between those processing centers.

Reseachers of a recent study reviewed 101 existing articles on how to keep our brain structure in shape and came up with the main 3 factors, namely:

1. Physical exercise

It turned out that not only your body suffer from lack of exercises, but your brain as well.

An active lifestyle helps to develop the central nervous system and to counteract the aging of the brain.

2. Social interactions

Social interactions with other people contribute to a number of complex biological factors that supports good brain function and can prevent your brain from shrinkage.

3. Passion (or having a strong interest in something)

This last one is your motivation to learn new things. Over time, this impacts the development and maintenance of our neural networks.

Researchers also mentioned the important role of diet, internal cell processes (endogenous metabolism), and emotional state in brain aging.

The key message of this research is that you can affect our brain development and ageing as it is closely linked to your lifestyle. Physical exercise, social interactions and passion help to develop and maintain the basic structures of your brain as you get older. Just keep your brain continuously active. Stay curious. You’re never too old to learn something new!

Curious? HERE is the source