As brains age, normal wear and tear starting in middle age causes them to process information more slowly, which means it takes longer to make judgments and grasp complex information.
The key to keeping intellectually sharp as we age may not be mental gymnastics, as commonly recommended, but real gymnastics.
When journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin was in her early 40s, she began forgetting things and was having trouble concentrating. Embarrassed, but also concerned, she decided to get to the heart of the question so many people in midlife ask: Is this normal—or am I slowly losing my mind?
A veteran reporter with two decades of investigative work under her belt, she decided to become a guinea pig, a self-appointed representative of middle-aged people whose minds were behaving unnervingly. She embarked on a three-year quest for a more agile brain, interviewing top experts in the field and, with their supervision, undergoing ten “interventions” intended to restore – and perhaps enhance – her cognitive function.
Meticulously, and often hilariously, she chronicles what works for her and what doesn’t, and her probing interviews with the experts offer enormous insight into brain function and why some people stay mentally sharp longer than others.
In her new book, CARVED IN SAND: When Attention Fails and Memory Fades in Midlife, Ramin provides valuable information about what to do right now. She blasts her way through brand-new research (and old wives’ tales), explaining scientific thinking in a way that is both accurate and accessible. The book also addresses readers’ legitimate concerns about the future, explaining that genetics play only a small part in determining who will develop Alzheimer’s and that there are things you can do now to improve your chances of spending the final third of your life in excellent cognitive condition.
To order the book, scroll down the right column of this website looking for the heading: Baby Boomer Books. Then just click on the picture of the book cover, Carved in Sand.