Why Lifelong Learning is the Key to Keeping Your Brain Sharp

Lifelong learning isn’t just about curiosity—it’s a powerful tool to support brain health as you age. According to Hollie Hristov, FNP, a Preventive Neurology specialist, keeping the brain engaged through new learning skills, helps build cognitive reserve and strengthens neuroplasticity, giving the brain more resilience over time.

“As we age, cognitive stimulation and lifelong learning are super important because those that have greater cognitive reserve can actually adapt better to age-related brain changes,” says Hristov.

Learning Builds Your Brain’s Backup System

Consistently challenging your mind does more than sharpen skills—it helps the brain form new neural connections. “Learning new things and cognitive stimulation on a consistent basis is a way to improve neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to generate new neural connections over time,” Hristov explains. “Which is gonna lead to stronger backup pathways in the brain.”

She adds, “Say in the unfortunate event you are diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease, you're gonna have more backup to kind of keep you in the game longer.”

Boosting the Memory Center

Lifelong learning doesn’t just support general brain function; it specifically strengthens the hippocampus. “Staying cognitively engaged can also impact the brain's ability to form new neurons,” says Hristov. “Importantly in the memory center of the brain, the hippocampus.”

What Types of Activities Are Best?

Some brain-stimulating activities offer more long-term benefits than others. Hristov is clear about where to focus your efforts: “Most importantly, learning new skills.”

She explains, “Things like a foreign language, we always recommend to our patients. How to play a musical instrument. Taking adult education classes, for example, like cooking, pottery, painting, dance. These are all really great ways to mentally challenge the brain in a healthy way.”

Physical activities that require mental processing are another excellent option. “Something where you have to use coordination, like a sport with a racket—like pickleball, for example—is a great way to use coordination, physical endurance, and also mental load,” says Hristov.

And of course, there’s reading. “Reading, especially challenging literature, can be impactful,” she adds.

Puzzles or New Skills?

Hristov encourages incorporating mental activities like puzzles and strategy games but notes that new learning offers more powerful benefits. “Mental activities like puzzles and strategy games, or learning new skills, are all greatly important,” she says. “However, to really make a lasting impact, learning new skills is probably better in terms of improving neural connections over time.”

Games like Sudoku and crosswords have value, but they tend to offer more short-term benefits. “Puzzles or strategy-based games can all help improve mental sharpness and provide some short-term effects,” Hristov explains. “But to really have a longer impact, you want something that's gonna challenge you in a way where you have to integrate new knowledge into your brain and interpret it.”

That said, Hristov reassures patients that combining both approaches is beneficial. “You're not going to lose if you combine both—like if you're doing new skills plus puzzles and things like that,” she says. “But if you want more benefit, you're probably gonna wanna focus more on learning a new skill.”

Passive vs. Active Engagement

Passive activities like watching TV have their place, but Hristov emphasizes they’re not enough to keep the brain healthy. “Some of the activities, passive activities, that we all enjoy to do at some point—like watching TV, for example—you know, has its time and place,” she says. “But it’s really not—yes, you can be engaged emotionally—but it’s really not cognitively engaging you.”

Instead, she recommends focusing on “maintaining engagement in terms of mental exercises or lifelong learning.” One simple addition? Music. “Listening to classical music is also a really great way, and it’s just a bit more challenging for your brain to interpret.”

The key to brain-healthy learning is consistency. “You really need to find a way to blend these activities into your daily life to support your cognitive vitality and overall well-being,” Hristov says.

Cognitive Challenges at Work—and After Retirement

For those still working, Hristov suggests assessing whether your job challenges you in ways that support cognitive health. “If you're feeling mentally challenged, that's a great tell-all,” she says. “If you're required to use, I would say, critical thinking skills or problem-solving skills on a consistent basis, that's super beneficial.”

But she warns that jobs with little social engagement or growth opportunities can be a problem. “If you are more socially isolated in your job, this really can be seen in people that work remote—that can have a negative impact.”

The right balance is key. “You want to walk away from a workday feeling like you've contributed and you were challenged in a healthy way and not stuck in like a monotonous environment,” says Hristov. “You also want to have the ability to grow in your role and not be complacent over time. That's also something that's super important and builds cognitive reserve as you get more challenged as you progress in the roles.”

And while cognitively demanding work is good, chronic stress is not. “Overly stressful work environments are probably super cognitively engaged,” Hristov admits, “but they can have a negative impact on the brain because you're increasing stress. So long-term, you really have to be mindful of that balance.”

For those who are retired—or approaching retirement—staying engaged is just as important. “It can be a slippery slope because when someone retires, they might lose a sense of purposefulness,” Hristov says. She recommends preparing in advance. “Typically we recommend our patients that aren't retired yet, a few years out, find the hobbies that you enjoy. Get on boards if you can, or become engaged in volunteering.”

And after retirement? “Just really hone in on those things that you think you'll enjoy long term,” Hristov advises. “Because once you retire, you may have that feeling like, ‘Oh, what am I contributing now?’ And that can really impact someone's risk for neurocognitive decline.”

The Takeaway

Lifelong learning isn’t optional if you want to maximize cognitive function. As Hristov puts it, “You really need to find a way to blend these activities into your daily life to support your cognitive vitality and overall well-being.” Whether you’re working, retired, or somewhere in between, challenging your brain with new skills, social engagement, and creative pursuits is one of the most powerful ways to protect it.

To learn more about the benefits of lifelong learning, watch our conversation with Hollie Hristov, FNP, in the video above.

By Alicia J. Barber, PhD