Life Long Learning
Lifelong learning is the process of keeping your mind and body engaged by actively pursuing knowledge and experience.
Learning something new – at any age —whether it’s learning how to speak French, learning to cha – cha, to use the internet more adroitly, to improve your golf swing, or to cook a healthy lasagna – the process of learning has great brain benefits for adults.
You are never too old to learn. Some folks in my classes at Oasis and at Elderhostels are well into their 70’s and 80’s. One of my favorite students turns 90 very soon and she is still eager to learn (a good part of the reason why she is aging very successfully)
Some of the many benefits of life long learning are:
- It may postpone dementia related disease by building something called "cognitive reserve." When you continually engage in learning, your brain produces new dendrites. Eventually some dendrites begin to die off, but, if you have a greater cognitive reserve, that is if you continue to produce these little critters, when some of them die off you will still have a goodly amount to keep your brain functioning. That’s the best reason I can think of to keep learning.
- It provides opportunities to meet new people who share similar interests. Learning with others broadens your relationship circle with new folks to talk with and share stories.
- It provides an interesting and relatively inexpensive way to try new things. By taking continuing education courses you can learn to line dance, play bridge, work with clay or create hand made gifts.
- It provides a feeling of accomplishment. Learning for the sake of learning is a powerful force to keep you thinking young and your brain flexible and agile.
- It helps with life skills. You can learn to invest your money, sell your home, do your taxes and learn how to organize your life (or your kitchen –she said hopefully).
- It does not have to be something heavy and terribly thought provoking to be good for your brain. Learning something new that is fun, interesting and exciting is just as good as the accumulation of new information – maybe more so.
- It helps you to impress your friends with your new knowledge and skills.
"Where do I sign up?" you may be asking. Lifelong learning classes - a.k.a. continuing education or adult education - are offered by most communities through continuing education programs in the schools and libraries, through organizations, local colleges and senior centers. Often these groups offer classes in sports, books clubs, cooking, art, dance, language, yoga, exercise and music. History and travelogues are an added bonus. The opportunities are wide open. Just think you can learn to speak French, cook Italian, dance Spanish and play bridge with new friends. What a great workout for your brain and what good insurance you are taking out to ward off mental decline. All of this can be so much fun too!
Comment on the article |
