3 Science-Based Secrets to a Youthful Brain

By Everyday Health Guest Columnist

Published Sep 14, 2015

By Henry Emmons, MD, and David Alter, PhD, Special to Everyday Health
Chances are you know someone whose mental abilities have declined with age. And if you’re like most people, you’re a bit afraid of aging yourself.
Surprisingly, those fears are not limited to those of us who are in the second half of life. A large 2013 U.S. poll published in International Psychogeriatrics revealed that young people between ages 18 and 39 are even more concerned about their memory than those in older groups.
Whatever your age, you are wise to take action now to protect what scientists have poetically called “the 3-pound universe” of your brain. The actions you take today will influence what your brain becomes tomorrow, next year, and even decades from now.
In our book, Staying Sharp, we outline nine keys for a youthful brain that are based on sound neuroscience. We also weave in principles from ageless wisdom to help create a resilient brain, a vibrant mind, and an awakened heart. Here, we introduce three of those keys to staying sharp, with examples of simple steps you can take right now to build a healthier, happier, and more authentic future.

A Youthful Brain is a Well-Rested Brain

Sleep is perhaps the most non-negotiable self-care measure for brain health. With good sleep, everything about the brain works better — immediately. Sleep improves your mood, clears your mind, and repairs your body. It is not an exaggeration to call sleep a miracle drug for the brain.
While it’s a myth that we need less sleep as we age, most people find it harder to get enough deep, restful sleep. Here is one simple, surprisingly effective strategy to improve your sleep: Manage your exposure to light.
Our bodies take their cues from nature, and one of the most universal and powerful of these cues is the rhythm of light and dark. We are designed to get bright light during the day but negligible light at night.
Try these tips for better sleep: Regulate your light exposure by better aligning it with nature. Try to give yourself at least an hour of very bright light early in the day. If you can’t get it from the sun, buy an inexpensive dawn simulator for your bedroom, or a blue-spectrum light therapy device for your desk.
In the evening, use great care to minimize your exposure to light.

• Turn off your room lights and screen devices one to two hours before you go to bed.
• Read with very low-level light from a book light or a backlit screen.
• If you need a nightlight for safety, use a very dim one without blue-spectrum light.

A Youthful Brain Cultivates Curiosity

Enough restful sleep allows the possibility for you to enjoy, engage, and even be enchanted by the next day’s opportunities. Cultivating curiosity helps you make use of those opportunities.
When you expose yourself to new ideas or novel situations, your brain may be momentarily challenged or befuddled. But the mental thrill of finding creative solutions to such challenges tickles your brain’s pleasure centers with molecules of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps focus attention on the new solution and lock it into memory. That’s why it’s so important to develop the skill of curiosity. Deliberately seeking what is new and different leads to a more flexible and adaptable you.
Try this tip to find more novelty in your life: Exercise your curiosity muscles. The next time you face a choice between doing the same old, same old, or something new and bold, choose the novel option. It may just put a smile on your face, as well as light up your brain as it forms new connections. That is neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to change and adapt — at work.

A Youthful Brain is a Well-Connected Brain

When it comes to the brain, size doesn’t matter. Connections do. The same might be said about one of life’s greatest rewards: our degree of connection to others. A more deeply connected life can translate into a more youthful brain — not to mention a more joyful life.
At our core we are social beings. Enriching your social connections produces powerfully protective benefits for your brain. Chief among them is a reduction in the fear and anxiety that can arise if you are not immersed in a supportive social network. Social connections protect the brain from the chronic stress of feeling alone and misunderstood. Seeking open-hearted connections activates empathy circuits that lie deep within your brain. Doing this regularly strengthens the channels among your brain’s centers of emotion, reasoning, and judgment. In short, deepening your connections to others makes you more flexible, compassionate, and emotionally balanced — a person with equanimity and substance.
Try these tips for connecting with others: Here is a simple first step: Instead of exchanging the perfunctory greetings — “How are you doing?” “Fine, and you?”— linger just a few moments. Prolong the encounter. Ask another question. Extend a more heartfelt wish. Make the interaction a tad more full of meaning.
When you consistently practice connecting, you will have taken a significant step toward awakening your heart to express your true and authentic potential. And that makes your brain sing at any age!
Henry Emmons, MD, is a psychiatrist who integrates mind-body and natural therapies, mindfulness, and compassion practices into his clinical work in Minneapolis with Partners in Resilience. He is also the author of the books, The Chemistry of Joy and The Chemistry of Calm, and is a popular workshop and retreat leader for healthcare professionals and the public.



David Alter, PhD, is a psychologist with 30 years of experience in health psychology, neuropsychology, and clinical hypnosis, which he integrates into his work. He is also a sought-after speaker, teacher, and trainer offering talks, workshops, and retreats to general and professional audiences. He is a co-founder of Partners in Healing, a center for holistic health in Minneapolis, and conducts his practice there.


PHOTO CREDITS: Getty Images, top image. Henry Emmons, MD, photo by Patsy Dew. David Alter, PhD, photo courtesy David Alter.