These Hobbies Might Prevent You From Aging

Embracing ageing is a graceful endeavour. We are storybooks that, despite having many chapters, are far from being finished. If, however, we want to continue our so-called memoirs with clarity, it seems we may need to look after our brains. It seems we may need to find some means to improve the effects of ageing whilst also enjoying ourselves. 

The Surprising Cognitive Benefits of ‘Uncool’ Hobbies

There are some hobbies that lack a certain, stereotyped ‘coolness’. In any clichéd movie about high school, you would see the popular kids partying and drinking, whilst the ‘social rejects’ spend their time reading and playing games. These activities were seen as too academic and not socially acceptable. Perhaps it’s time to change this stereotype.

Not only do hobbies like reading and playing strategic games make you an arguably more interesting and reflective person, but they also protect your brain. Psychological studies have linked hobbies like chess-playing, reading, knitting, and completing puzzles to strengthening our cognitive abilities, especially in old age. 

How Chess Improves Memory, Focus, and Cognitive Longevity

If you only relate chess to the novel and the hit TV series The Queen’s Gambit, it may be time to look a little further. When we were children, we might have believed the point of games was always to win, and if we weren’t good at something, then we should give up. Sure, it feels great to triumph, but the real reason games were encouraged as children was less about winning and more about cognitive development. 

From Ancient India to Modern Minds: The History of Chess

Chess is older than most of us realise, originating from the Indian Gupta Empire, around 600AD. Like any modern child, the kids living in this period of time were drawn to the world of play. Chess, in this way, was both a pastime and a mode of learning. Sculptures and paintings depict goddesses, children, and emperors, all fascinated by this world of little squares and statues.

In the beginning, the pieces were laid out like an army before a battle, but over time, they transformed into the modern chess pieces we know and love. Wisdom and intelligence have been vital throughout human history and have enshrined their value in every age. Whether you join a club or play against a loved one or a stranger, chess can help stimulate and challenge those ‘little grey cells.’ 

Why Puzzles Became Popular — and What They Do to Your Brain

Many surprising trends emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, including the astonishing popularity of puzzles. A sepia-filtered memory from childhood, sitting at a wooden table under soft lamplight, unknowingly spending hours to place those last few pieces.

According to Professor Marcel Danesi, completing puzzles can give our brains a sense of order in our increasingly chaotic worlds. Danesi says even young people, so often addicted to the easy dopamine of social media, have found immense pleasure and reward from completing a puzzle.

The connection of touch and cognition – feeling the pieces and the satisfaction of finding the right spot – has a longer-lasting impact than the short-lived joy of electronic entertainment. Recent studies have also suggested the neurological benefits of puzzling, including improved cognitive abilities like memory recall.  

How Reading Strengthens Memory and May Increase Lifespan

You might have guessed it, but of course, reading makes the list. The studies not only indicate a relationship between reading and improved memory, but also a lengthening of lifespan. Reading lights up our brain, answering its need for stimulation. And not the mindless, short-form stimulation we may get on a social media application, but quality engagement that enriches our lives.

Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, ‘Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.’ Of course, Roosevelt’s philosophy requires nuance; calling a mind ‘great’ or ‘small’ is not as simple as their social conversations. 

Why Engaging with Ideas Keeps the Mind Sharp

There is merit, however, in the importance of discussing ideas. Or rather, of engaging with complex and multifaceted concepts, of reading something and asking yourself what you actually think about it. Whether you pick up a daily newspaper or Albert Camus’s absurdist novel The Stranger, you’ll likely always consider what you read.

When we read short-form content on Instagram or even headlines of articles, we often do not have enough time for reflection. We are spoon-fed a point of view, what to believe about a certain topic, and have less and less space to form our own opinions.

Reading is a gentle rebellion. It allows you to explore bigger ideas, sink your teeth into something real. Evidently, it also keeps your cognition agile, so you can continue gaining wisdom whilst also questioning it. 

Simple Leisure Activities That Support Long-Term Brain Health

However you feel about the days passing, they will pass, and our wisdom will grow. Our brains are fundamental to our humanity and need to be fed and nourished just like each and every part of us. Turning towards classic leisure like a humble game of chess or a classic novel we’ve been meaning to read, may do more than bring us joy. In fact, they might just be the key to protecting our cognition.