Growing older AND wiser
01/06/2005
A new book about how our brains function is set to explode the myths that surround the issue of mental agility and old age.
It is widely believed that old age inevitably leads to poor memory, inability to concentrate and a regular series of “senior moments”. Not true, say Nancy Slessenger and Andy Gilbert in “Brain Magic”, a new “e-book” written by two experts in brain and learning research.
The subject of how the brain copes with old age is one of 126 areas that are discussed in the book, and Nancy and Andy are eager to point out the many misconceptions that are held about how ageing affects our brain. “It is a common belief that by the time people reach their sixties, their brain cells are dying out inducing a rapid decline into old age.
“This is a false assumption as a significant deterioration in mental capacity is certainly not inevitable. There is always something that you can do,” explains Nancy Slessenger.
Smoking, drinking and the amount of coffee we consume all have a negative effect on how well the brain functions, whilst the link between exercise and brain function has been proven, but is still not common knowledge. “Keeping active in retirement,” adds Nancy, “has a major impact on how well our brains work: simple factors such as having a wide circle of friends, solving crossword puzzles, reading newspapers and keeping physically active all play an important part in keeping mentally alert.”
The authors hope to reach as wide an audience as possible. Says Andy: “Our answer was to make it cost only £1, and to make it available on-line so that people could download it instantly wherever they are in the world.”
The book is available now at www.brainmagic.co.uk