Blue Zone Your Memory No. 42: Joy!

Researchers are studying social joy as a protective mechanism for the brain. Specifically, La Rue (2008) found that for better memory all one has to do is to carve out time to spend doing things that are enjoyable with others. Evidently, the emotion of joy has global effects on the brain, creates psychological resilience, and lowers the negative effects of stress. In addition, positive experiences prompt the brain to store the sensual experiences of joy thus making explicit and implicit memories from positive experiences easier to retrieve.

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 41: Fitness Workout Woes

 

 

The latest research concerning why we derail our own workout efforts involves the Disconnect Value Model and the amygdala regions of the brain. Evidently, we sometimes decide to make a trade off and seek immediately gratification instead of sticking to our short and long range value-driven goals for fitness.  This break in self-regulation can be much needed at times; however, if you would like to be more consistent with your workout plan try connecting to your values again. When you detect a threat to your values and see yourself finding other things to do instead of working out connect to your amygdala regions of the brain and try practicing value driven self-regulation.

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 40: Fear of Falling

 Sometimes the fear of falling decreases our confidence to pursue independent activity, which increases frailty and the possibility of falling (University of Lausanne, Switzerland, 2011). Using a fall self-efficacy scale this university’s research revealed that exercise and cognitive behavioral training lessened the need for older adults to self-impose activity restriction.  This research reveals the importance of partnering exercise with education, sensory correction, environmental adaptation, and addressing the psychological fears and factors that impair balance confidence as a holistic and integrative treatment plan for fall prevention.

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 39: Challenge Yourself!

The entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus are the first regions of the brain that are impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. Science has discovered that these areas experience atrophy with early onset Alzheimer’s. Research has also shown that learning new and novel information and processes can enhance neurogenesis in these regions of the brain. For example, doing an easy crossword puzzle where no learning occurs does not contribute to neurogenesis at the same level as working a crossword puzzle that is challenging and that involves new learning. To further enhance the neurogenesis process practice rehearsing the new learning after two minute intervals, while adding to this foundation of new and novel material. This same technique can apply to the physical movements that can be found in Tai Chi or the tango. The key is that the new learning must be challenging!  

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 38: Christmas Shopping

Your brain becomes hyper alert during the Christmas season and the marketing stimuli directed toward the senses can cause you to exceed your budget. According to Psychology Today (2012) our senses play a powerful role on our mood during holiday shopping, and just being aware of this phenomenon can help shoppers stay within their budget. For example, did you know that the red and greed colors of Christmas can change your mood? The color red energizes and excites the brain, and the color green is associated with optimism and well-being. So stepping into a store filled with these colors, and the smells, sounds, and textures of Christmas can trick or overstimulate the emotional heart and the brain to react, which is often the trigger needed to overspend.

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 35: Complementary and Alternative Medicine

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine governs the very broad and changing field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It is an excellent website to investigate the summary information and regulations that might surround a CAM program, product, or service. Divided into two broad categories of mind and body medicine, CAM can include natural products such as probiotics or vitamins and herbs, to meditation practices, to manipulative and body-based practices such as acupuncture or reflexology and many others. NCCAM’s mission is to define, through rigorous scientific investigation, the usefulness and safety of complementary and alternative medicine.

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 30: Forgiveness

Forgiveness can be easier for the older adult, because they are more independent with their choices and social connectedness. Older adults are less swayed by what others think, and this may be why they are more likely to practice forgiveness. How does the brain respond to the act of forgiveness? Research indicates that acts of forgiveness positively stimulate the regions of the brain associated with socialization, such as the amygdala, which is also known to be the seat of emotion and memory.

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 28: Aging Stereotypes

Stereotypes can be harmful, because they set boundaries and social norms that have little or no factual basis for their existence. They are also the driving force behind “graywashing,” which can lead to products that are advertised based on these false assumptions (ICAA, 2011). For example, in one study elderly participants were more likely to reject treatment for a serious illness and reject opportunities for growth when they were exposed to negative comments about aging. Studies reveal that stored negative concepts about aging are what we respond to as hopeful consumers looking for the next great age-related product. We all frame our communication and decision-making based around stored beliefs and experiences about various subjects or events. The caution is to challenge these beliefs and ask "are they really true?"

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 27: Change is Good!

Change can be good for the brain. While the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus work together to manage memory, the hippocampus is critical in forming and retrieving memories for creating new memory maps, and the cerebral cortex is specifically responsible for abstract reasoning, and storing and retrieving of memories. When our daily life involves a lot of routine, our brain becomes less active and doesn't have to work as hard to make these daily associations. Try changing simple processes, for example; if you are in a hardware store to pick up regular supplies take time to examine a new tool or unfamiliar object and the brain will benefit from this simple exercise. What are the routines that dominate your day, do you sit in the same place every day to work or eat, and do you do the same exercise, or watch the same TV shows every day? Try a small change in routine to stimulate the cerebral cortex and hippocampus to strengthen the brain and its neuroplasticity. Change is good.

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 25: Personality Type

Your memory issues may be influenced by your personality type. For example, if your personality type is a combination of the sensing-intuition dichotomy of the Myers-Briggs personality assessment types, you may find that in a conversation or during an activity you may focus on concepts, ideas, theories, and inferring connections rather than the facts of the event. To support your memory needs for this personality type try putting your fragmented memories into an interesting and meaningful content based around the event or facts that you are trying to remember.

Blue Zone Your Memory No. 22: Learned Optimism is Good for Your Memory!

Optimism is a trait that helps us believe in positive outcomes. Having a healthy sense of optimism helps people make sound decisions such as taking preventative measures against disease. Optimism fuels behaviors such as eating healthy or quitting smoking because there is an expectation of positive results.

Feeling hopeless and having a negative attitude accelerates many disease processes, especially atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke. In addition, pessimism is known to be responsible for poor performance and memory recall. If your personality does not include the optimism trait, do not fret, psychologists believe that optimism can be learned and skillfully honed into a healthy habit.

Your Personal Blue Zone

Blue Zones are those areas of our society where people live measurably longer than our present life expectancy models. Researchers are investigating the reasons for these statistics and although it may take years to understand these longevity pockets found throughout our world, reliable and valid themes are unfolding. We may be able to learn from the early stages of this research. The data consistently generated reveals that maintaining socialization as a foundation for healthy choices may be the key. According to the Framingham studies," happiness, smoking, and obesity are all contagious," and in the blue zones, happiness has a greater focus because of the prevalence of strong families and close-knit communities (Monroe, 2010).

Research from the blue zones indicates that their members place a high value on humor and laughter. The elderly and family units take first place when it comes to developing new cultural norms and choices. Blue zone inhabitants contribute through volunteerism and maintaining strong social circles especially when it comes to physical exercise and a purpose-driven lifestyle. What does your blue zone look like? You can make inspiring changes in your life and others by seeking socialization and positive relationships. According to Monroe (2010), it turns out that "friends, unlike diets, are much more likely to be longer-term undertakings."

~Debra