They will grow and decrease in capacity depending on what we put into them. Using mental training to keep your brain sharp is very effective.
The more you put into your brain the more you get out of it. The brain is constantly making new connections and growing in capacity when it is being stimulated. Alternatively if you are not stimulating your brain and keeping it share and active you will start to see a decrease in is capacity.
For a long time scientists thought the brain was born the same way it died. So for example if you had X number of brain cells and X number of connections when you were born assuming no serious deterioration you died with the same. Now we know that in fact what you are born with has nothing to do with what your brain is actually capable of.
During the early part of your life your brain has a natural increase in ability this is also stimulated by the fact that you are in school and your brain is often getting mental training through school work. Later on in life when you are out of college and start to work and raise a family our brain becomes less stimulated. We get into a routine which is the same everyday and although it requires a lot of work from our brain it doesn’t stimulate it and help it be more effective.
Once we hit our senior years there is a natural decline of the brain that happens. This decline is far less significant in a sharp brain with good mental training then with a brain that has not had much stimulation. So being mentally sharp when going into your senior years gives you a big advantage on being able to dodge mental capability diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
So the next time you are thinking about your overall health and how you can improve it be sure to add some mental training to keep one of your most important organs healthy. There are a variety of activities you can do to keep the brain sharp and it only takes a few minutes a day to make it happen. Once you start mental training activities you will notice changes such as increased memory, quicker ability to process information and problem solve and just overall clearer thinking.
