Page 166 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

150 • Chapter 5

2. _____ People who are happy and content with their
lives show less cognitive decline than those suf-
fering from stress or discontent.

3. _____ The older we get, the more robust our store of in-
formation and knowledge becomes.

4. _____ Many people believe it is a matter of clumsiness,
carelessness, or loss of coordination that causes
seniors to fall and break a bone. Often the se-
nior’s bone breaks first, however, and then the
senior falls.
5. _____ Lack of sleep affects your intelligence, memory,
and ability to concentrate.
6. _____ Some individuals 70 years old or older may have
better reaction times than a 30-year-old.
7. _____ Worrying about getting older actually hastens
mental decline.
8. _____ Depression affects your motivation to remember,
ability to concentrate, and perception of circum-
stances; it also causes overreaction to slight lapses
in memory.

9. _____ Much of the cognitive loss that is commonly
considered a part of the aging process is actually
attributable to extrinsic factors such as lack of
practice, poor motivation, diet, health complica-
tions, fatigue, and poor conditions of the testing.

10. _____ The best foods for us are the most brightly col-
ored ones.

Some studies show that there may not be a decline in
cognitive abilities in active, stimulated individuals. Intelli-
gence test scores for mentally active individuals may actu-
ally improve. For those individuals whose mental skills
have begun to decline, K. Warner Schaie’s Seattle Longitu-
dinal Study showed that, with practice, they could score as
well as they had 14 years before. Moreover, this increased
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mental agility could be maintained for years. Chapters 6,