Protect your brain with social interaction
Last January I mentioned that I had watched a story on CBS Sunday Morning with five tips for protecting the brain from dementia. I promised a separate post on each of the five tips. Today is the final post of that series. If you missed the others and would like to catch up, you’ll find the previous tips linked below.
5 tips for protecting your brain
According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, there are five basic things we can all do to fight off dementia, even if we are genetically predisposed to it.
- Move more
- Eat better
- Try new things
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Interact socially
Did you join me in April’s challenge to improve your sleep? If so, I’d love to hear what you did and how it went. Please share in the comments.
Now on to tip 5…but before we do, let me remind you that I am not a doctor or medical expert of any type. I am simply relaying information from those who are.
Interact socially
According to the Cleveland Clinic, studies have shown that those with the most social interaction within their community experience the slowest rate of memory decline. A 2017 study published by researchers at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine found that individuals 80 and above with the mental agility of 50-year-olds all had one factor in common: a close-knit group of friends.
Why it works
Neurologist Dan Kaufer, MD, director of the UNC Memory Disorders Program, offers an example to illustrate the workout social interactions give our brains:
You’ve been invited to a party at a friend’s house. The gears in your mind start cranking before you’ve even set foot outside your home. What do you wear? Can you take a date? Should you bring something? Who will be there? If so-and-so and what’s-his-name are coming, then there might be some tension because of that fight they had years ago about yada yada yada.
See? That’s a lot of thinking and problem-solving before you even get to the party. By the time you arrive at the party, your brain is fully engaged, Dr. Kaufer says. You’re taking stock of everyone who is there, trying to remember names, faces and relationships. Who should you talk to? Who should you avoid? What topics should you steer clear of when talking to them?
You don’t have to go to a party to exercise your brain though. Even a one-on-one conversation can do that. Dr. Jane Gilbert explains: “Psychological studies show that conversation stimulates the brain. It may seem effortless to many, but it requires a complex combination of skills including attention, memory, thinking, speech and social awareness.”
Let’s get social
COVID-19 has been tough on our in-person social interactions. Thank goodness for technology. We’d all have become hermits by now…which wouldn’t be good for our brains.
In many parts of the world, we are getting vaccinated and infection rates are dropping. Getting together physically is becoming a safer option. If that describes your situation, I challenge you to organize a get-together…coffee, lunch, dinner, visit a local attraction, or just take a walk…with someone you haven’t seen in a while. If no one comes to mind, consider joining a club, class, or exercise group.
If face-to-face meetings still aren’t comfortable for you, arrange a FaceTime or Zoom chat with friends or family. Do whatever it takes to stay connected, even if it’s a little outside of your comfort zone. Do it for your brain, if nothing else.
Your turn
- Did you participate in last month’s challenge to improve your sleep? If so, what did you do and did it work?
- What will you do to increase your social interaction this month?
- Do you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert?
- Are you normally a hugger (imagine there was no pandemic)? When was the last time you hugged someone not in your immediate household?
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Hi Christie – I completely agree with the need for social interaction to keep our minds healthy but I had to laugh at your example about going to a party – every single thing you listed that our brain tries to figure out before going is why I’ve come to the point of wanting to avoid parties these days! Still, coffee dates and family get togethers still count for interaction, and covid isn’t as big a deal here in Australia, so hopefully I’m ticking all the boxes. Great post.
I completely understand, Leanne. I typically prefer smaller groups…or at least smaller groups within a large party…as well. Small groups and family get togethers definitely count for interaction and stimulate the brain. The COVID infections are decreasing here, and my husband and I are both fully vaccinated, so we are slowly reconnecting with people in real life. I must say I enjoy it…or at least appreciate it…more now.
I agree that social interaction helps keep your brain young, but I don’t think it has to be among close friends to make the interactions count. I find that just a fast chat with a stranger who I stand in line behind in the grocery keeps me feeling alert and connected. Talking with friends is great, of course– but short of that give me some micro-conversations, you know?
Good point, Ally. Connecting with strangers can also create positive feelings and stimulate the brain.
Hi Christie, as an introvert, I mostly avoid large crowds, but I love small gatherings. Lately, I have been getting together with a few friends each week to play Mahjongg. The interaction and the game are stimulating. This week I will go to book club for the first time in a year. That should be fun. The plan is to s-l-o-w-l-y emerge from the bubble…taking care to choose wisely. I agree with Ally about chatting with strangers. Sometimes that might be just the thing to turn a dull day into a pleasant one.
Good for you, Suzanne. When it comes to stimulating the brain, you’ve got the two-punch combo going…interacting with friends and playing a stimulating game. Sounds perfect. And then the book club is also working the brain and socializing at the same time. Enjoy!
Being double-dosed and having friends who are also, we’ve been upping our social interactions lately. We are still cautious and avoid large crowds but it really does feel great. I don’t know about brain health, but it does make my heart happier. 🙂
That’s wonderful news, Janis. We are in a similar situation and enjoying the slowly increasing social interaction. Good for the body, mind, and soul.
Hi, Christie – I so agree about the importance of social interaction and its positive effect on our brains and our overall health. During the pandemic restrictions, it has taken creativity to stay safe and stay social. But as you said, with technology like Zoom (etc) it is doable — and I am very grateful!
Hello Donna and welcome back! I hope you enjoyed your blogging break. Technology has been key to staying connected during the pandemic and for some of us who are technologically challenged, just figuring that out has worked our brains as well. Win-win!
It’s funny, I’m an introvert in a big crowd of strangers, but not so much with people I like and know. Maybe that’s just normal. In school I was painfully shy. I’m not nearly as bad as I used to be.
I’m headed to Texas with my 2 daughters for a long weekend, so I see lots of social interaction in my future!
You just described me perfectly, Cindy. We must be sisters! Enjoy your time socializing with the girls.
This has been a topic on a couple of blogs I read… and there was a link to a study that “proves” social isolation has a negative impact on cognitive ability – among all ages!. It’s a psychology research paper summary so not very exciting to read… but fascinating to me that they were able to measure it!
here’s the link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/acp.3821
I have definitely heard the impact in my mom – her cognitive decline in the last 18 months has been significant. Yes, she is 87, but the social isolation I think is a bigger factor.
Thanks for that link, Pat. I will check it out. I think this past year of limited social interaction has had an impact on all of us, but especially those who live alone or in assisted living centers and were cut off from their loved ones. My hope is that we all have learned to appreciate the importance of our connection with other people. Wishing all the best for you and your mom.