Enrich your surroundings, but limit the amount of information you consume.
Environmental enrichment
We can measure with scientific methods that a laboratory animal which has more items in his cage and therefore more variety in the surrounding environment has also
more newly developing neurons in the brain and more complex neuronal structure.
Picture from [1] illustrating the principle of environmental enrichment experiemnts in laboratory conditions.
Picture from [2] showing samples from the brain of (UPER IMAGE) mice kept in regular environment (LOWER IMAGE) mice kept in enriched environment. The white arrows indicate the localisation of newly formed neurons in hippocampus – a brain area where new neurons are formed during the whole life span (also in humans). In a stimulated brain, more newly formed neurons can be observed.
This simple model shows how important the variety of our surroundings is for brain function.
Similar effects have been observed in more complex, human brain and lifestyle alterations in the form of environmental enrichment are discussed as potential factors to improve human health.
Picture from [3] illustrating different factors which can enrich animal and human environment.
It is so important to remember that we are shaped not only by our genes but also by our actions. Research in epigenetics (studying the mechanisms how genes are activated) show that different activities can activate genes which would otherwise remain salient. Genes involved in learning and memory can be activated by environmental factors [4].
Picture: Our behaviour and mental capacities are modulated not only by our genes but also our previous actions.
Therefore, changing and enriching your environment and trying new activities is so important to keep our brain healthy.
Environmental enrichment vs. information overload.
I think that enrichment of the environment should not be confused with information overload. We are living in times of abundance of information [4]. Trying to absorb too much information from the media or checking email too often are things which do not enrich us but in contrary - overload with the excess of information.
Too much information is a noise [5]. Too busy mind cannot function well and can only do shallow work which is easy to reproduce by others or automated. Only if you take time and focus on one thing you have a chance to come up with some original thought or work which is specific for you.
Therefore, to keep brain healthy, it is good to keep a variety in your environment from one side, which could be travelling or improving the surroundings, and, on the other side, protect yourself from mental overload with insignificant information.
Further reading:
1. Enriched, Task-Specific Therapy in the Chronic Phase After Stroke: An Exploratory Study, 10.1097/NPT.0000000000000309
2. Environmental Enrichment Restores Memory Functioning in Mice with Impaired IL-1 Signalling via Reinstatement of Long-Term Potentiation and Spine Size Enlargement, 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5352-08.2009
3. Improvements to Healthspan Through Environmental Enrichment and Lifestyle Interventions: Where Are We Now? https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00605
4. Harari, Yuval N. author. Sapiens: a Brief History of Humankind. New York: Harper, 2015.
5. Taleb, Nassim Nicholas, 1960-. Fooled by Randomness: the Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and in Life. New York:Texere, 2001.
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