There are a few things you can do to stay young in your head. Brain researcher Prof. Dr. Martin Korte has very specific tips for this. © IMAGO/Alexander Limbach
How do you manage to stay mentally fit into old age? In this interview, brain researcher Prof. Dr. Martin Korte reveals concrete tips for staying young in the mind.
Munich – Prof. Dr. Martin Korte is a neurobiologist at TU Braunschweig. The 58-year-old heads the Zoological Institute there. For years he has been working on the topics of "creativity" and "lifelong learning". He has published various books on this subject, including "Jung im Kopf. Astonishing Insights of Brain Research into Aging" and "We Are Memory. How our memories determine who we are". In this interview, the brain researcher explains how to stay mentally fit into old age, why solving crossword puzzles is not yet "brain jogging" and what role exercise and sufficient sleep play for our brain.
Creativity – what is it anyway?
If only we knew that for sure (laughs). On the one hand, creativity can be a process when you find a completely new solution to a problem. But creativity can also be a product when you create something new. In other words, an idea that did not exist before, in the artistic or technical field, for example.
Can anyone really be creative?
Yes, everyone can and is creative. But how creative we are depends on how much we trust ourselves. The question is whether you like to try something new, or do it the way you've always done it. If you want to change a lamp, but you don't have a ladder available at the moment, you might think about how you can still replace the bulb on the ceiling. That, too, is creativity.
Brain researcher Prof. Dr. Martin Korte from the Technical University of Braunschweig has been working on the topics of "creativity" and "lifelong learning" for years. © private
Does creativity change over the course of a lifetime?
It doesn't change the ability to be creative. That older people are not supposed to be creative is a myth. While younger people seem to generate creative ideas out of thin air, older people tend to combine knowledge elements from their large body of knowledge. To be creative, you also need a lot of knowledge. Creativity and knowledge are not mutually exclusive. An experienced chef will put together a recipe that less experienced chefs haven't even thought of.
How important are creativity and lifelong learning in old age?
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Both are extremely important to stay young in the mind. Brains are better preserved the more they are used. Especially in creative thinking, many different brain areas are used. And learning is also an enormously demanding activity. The brain needs a lot of energy, much more than just thinking. The more nerve cells are used, the better it is.
What can you do to stay fit in old age?
You can't be afraid of making mistakes. Older people in particular shy away from trying new things because they are afraid of failure. You have to be willing to leave your comfort zone. Lifelong learning is exhausting, but you have to motivate yourself again and again. The best way to do this is to resume activities that you have already done. For example, digging out an old instrument if you played music in your youth. I wouldn't recommend learning a completely new instrument. The frustration about any low learning success could become too great
Nine concrete tips for those who want to stay young in their minds:
1. Stay in company and maintain your social contacts with family and friends or get involved in non-profit associations.
2. Make sure you get enough and restful sleep.
3. Exercise and exercise for half an hour at least four times a week.
4. Travel and explore new countries and cultures.
5. Do something that you enjoyed in your youth – playing an instrument, dancing, singing, etc.
6. Be consciously offline from time to time and don't waste too much unnecessary time on your mobile phone.
7. Indulge in your thoughts and let yourself be inspired by daydreams.
8. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new.
9. Don't be afraid to make mistakes!
What else can be done?
Go on a journey. In doing so, you not only educate yourself, but also gather new impressions and are together with other people. Involuntary loneliness should be avoided. By spending time with others, one's own memory is trained. If you don't have a connection from family, neighbors or friends, you can look for social contacts in clubs and volunteer there. Joint board or card games have also been proven to be good for staying mentally fit.
What about crossword puzzles?
Crossword puzzles are specific memory and language training, but not "brain jogging", as it is so often called. By brain jogging I mean a great activation of the brain, as is the case, for example, when learning new things or doing sports. If you do crossword puzzles, you will get better at crossword puzzles – but the brain does not necessarily age more slowly as a result. If you enjoy it, you shouldn't stop.
The same probably applies to many "brain jogging" apps on the mobile phone.
Before you do nothing, you can also use apps on your phone. If an app promises that digital training will make you years younger in your head, that's of course abracadabra. A round of people-don't-get-angry in company is definitely better for our brain. But everyone has to pursue what they enjoy. However, I would like to point out that you can waste a lot of time on your mobile phone, which is not necessarily conducive to our mental fitness. The constant pseudo-multitasking mode, especially if you are still in your professional life, is not good for us.
The constant pseudo-multitasking mode, especially if you are still in your professional life, is not good for us.
Prof. Dr. Martin Korte
Why is physical exercise so important for the brain?
In order to learn new things, you need to be able to concentrate on one thing for longer without being distracted. Those who do sports promote their ability to concentrate. Physical activity can also be physical creativity, for example by dancing or by learning new choreographies with others. Just half an hour of athletic training three to four days a week is usually enough to keep us fit. And sport is enormously important at any age.
What is the role of getting enough sleep?
Sleep is conducive to learning, because at night what you have learned during the day is processed. That's why you should make sure to get enough and restful sleep from a young age. If you sleep well and sufficiently, you will be more concentrated the next day and can work better. However, the duration of sleep continues to decrease over the course of a lifetime.
