Our cognition and mental well-being are crucial factors for our quality of life and have put us in good position to contribute to society. In the end, it may be almost impossible to achieve physical objectives and demand challenges of life if our brain health is not optimal.
However, most of us seem more concerned about physical health than brain health. According to the Yougov website More popular New Year resolutions In the United Kingdom in 2024, more exercise, saves money, losing weight and following a diet – with around 20% report that they were not failing resolutions only six days in the year. A large study on approximately 1,000 participants showed that mental health only appeared in approximately 5% of resolutions.
It is easy to monitor your physical health using mobile devices and portable technology to preserve physical health throughout your life. However, it can be clearer how to improve and monitor brain health and mental well-being. In our new book Brain Boost: healthy habits for a happier lifeWe rely on research to provide practical advice.
A certain number of factors contribute to our happiness in life, in particular genetics, our social and physical environment, cognition and our behavior, such as lifestyle choices. Studies have shown that a good cognitive function is linked to a better well-being And happiness.
Interesting fact, according to the 2024 Report on the Happiness of the World The five Nordic countries – Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – appear in the 10 happiest countries. However, the United Kingdom and the United States are not in the Top 10.
In the United Kingdom, the Yougov website followed mood states and although it reports that happiness is the most frequently expressed emotion, only 45% of people feel it. Ideally, this number should be much higher.
In addition, feeling stressed and frustrated are the next the next emotions with 40% and 35% of people with these feelings respectively. Disappointly, optimism is also low, for example, only 23% of 18-24 year olds and over 75 years old feel optimistic on average, and 17% of the 45 to 54 years.
Happiness and well-being in general reduce the effects of stress and Promotes health And longevity.
Nourish your brain
In our book, we rely on the latest scientific evidence, including ours, to highlight seven essential lifestyles that improve our brain health, cognition and well-being. We demonstrate how our daily habits can improve brain form, stimulate cognition and promote general well-being.
We suggest uncomfortable small steps to improve lifestyle habits and guarantee that this adapts in our daily activities, as well as being pleasant and pleasant. In this way, we can make sure that, unlike the New Year resolutions that we abandon within six days, we can keep them throughout life. This places us in a better position to meet physical challenges in the future.
These lifestyle factors include exercise, diet, sleep, social interactions, kindness, mindfulness and learning, and knowing how to get the most out of work. For example, exercise is a “versatile” because it can increase our physical health but also our brain health, our cognition and our mood. In fact, studies have shown that exercise can increase the Size of our hippocampusWhich is essential for learning and memory.
Likewise, sleeping the optimal number of hours every night can improve our immune system, our brain structure and our mental well-being. Our own study have shown that sleep from 7 to 8 hours a night to older adulthood was associated with better brain structure, cognition, such as treatment speed and memory and mental health.
Staying socially connected also plays an important role in brain health. We have shown that being socially isolated in the elderly is associated with a 26% at increased risk dementia. While having the Optimal number of friends In adolescence, about five years, is linked to a better structure of the brain, cognition, a level of education and well-being.
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Learning new things is also essential to maintaining neural circuits in our brain operating at the best level as long as possible. We have to challenge ourselves mentally to keep our brain active – just as we have to do physical exercise to keep our body fit.
This built cognitive reserve And helps us during stress. We can also keep our brain active in several ways, for example, by learning a new language or how to play a musical instrument where you can read an educational book on something that interests you.
Keeping our body healthy is incredibly important. But we must also nourish our brain if we want to be happy, mentally clear and well protected against diseases such as dementia.
To kiss these simple strategies to prioritize the health and well-being of the brain is essential for a happier and more fulfilling life. In the end, the lifestyle choices play an important role in reducing stress and promoting resilience, creativity and the quality of global life.