Minute Tip · Learning and mental engagement
Ten minutes of curiosity
Learning is worth doing for its own sake.
This is the written version. We publish a video only once it has been made and reviewed.
The tip
Give ten minutes to something you are curious about. A few words of a language. A tune on an instrument. A page of a book you have wanted to read.
Here is the honest part. Staying mentally engaged is a reasonable thing to do, but the effect on cognitive decline is uncertain. WHO describes the evidence for cognitive training as low certainty.
So do it because you enjoy it, not because it promises to protect your memory. Be cautious of any product that promises that.
If you are worried about your memory or thinking, talk with a clinician.
The claim behind this tip
Emerging evidence Staying mentally engaged is a reasonable activity, but the effect on cognitive decline is uncertain.
Early or low-certainty evidence. We say so instead of implying more certainty. Source-checked on . No clinician has reviewed this page.
Limits: WHO describes the evidence for cognitive training as low certainty and conditional. This is not prevention or treatment for cognitive disease.
- Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia: WHO guidelines, World Health Organization (2019)
Limits: WHO describes the evidence for cognitive training as low certainty and conditional. This is not prevention or treatment for cognitive disease. General education, not medical advice.
Try it today
Give ten minutes to something you want to learn. Choose a subject, puzzle, skill, book, musical piece, or creative project and begin for ten minutes. About 10 minutes.
Go deeper
- Keeping Your Mind Active After 50: What the Evidence Says, and Does Not
- More Minute Tips
- Personalize this for me One small step chosen each day from your goals, interests, and limits.
