07.11
As a young whipper-snapper, I often thought that grown-ups had little or no sense humor. Turns out I was onto something!
From No Joke: Age Makes Things Less Funny :
A new psychology study at Washington University was no laughing matter: It found that older adults may have a harder time getting jokes because of an age-related decline in certain memory and reasoning abilities.
The research suggested that because older adults may have greater difficulty with cognitive flexibility, abstract reasoning and short-term memory, they also have greater difficulty with tests of humor comprehension.
How Can You Maintain the Light of Humor?
Further research is warranted, but I’ll bet that the decline in humor is directly caused by the general cognitive decline associated with age. That’s good news. It means that by working out your brain and maintaining your cognitive edge, you can keep your sense of humor. If you don’t think today’s hip young comics are funny, that probably won’t change, but you’ll be able to see hilarity from a mile away–as long as you remember where you left your coke-bottle glasses!
From Ninah Kessler’s article Improve Your Memory Now:
1. Travel to New and Exciting Places!
Engage in novel and stimulating environments. The same-old-same-old is boring for a reason! Get out there and go to new places and meet new people. Sure, you’ll forget their names, but who cares…when you meet them a second time it will seem new all over again.
2. Exercise, exercise, exercise!
The brain is very greedy, and it gobbles up most of the oxygen that we take in. This is why when the body is deprived of oxygen, one of the first symptoms is mental impairment. One of the best ways that we can get more oxygen to the brain is through rigorous activity. Check with your doctor first!
3. Computer Based Brain Training!
This is what we focus on here at Sparks of Genius – using NASA inspired technology to help children of all ages strengthen their brain functions. If you are in the South Florida area, take the free 39 Point Learning Assessment and come in to check out our Electronic Playground. If you’re too far away, then check out these programs that you can use to Train Your Brain at home. We’ve tested them and our students use them. They work!
Its our job to stay on top of the latest developments in Neuroscience and translate them from boring scientist-speak into understandable, easy-to-use methods to Train Your Brain. The Newsletter is how we share the best with our community. You’re invited to be a part of it all!
Good luck!
Allen Dobkin
