Her recently assigned textbooks include Contested Histories in Public Spaces and Fighting Over the Founders.
As Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez commented in his recent profile of tennis legend Billie Jean King, “Yeah, what a slacker.” King has gone back to college at 81 to earn a long-delayed—as in really long-delayed—bachelor’s degree.
But it’s not necessary to be a famous over-achiever to take advantage of the big benefits of lifelong learning. “Exposure to new learning helps keep your brain healthy. Neuroplasticity enables continued learning and challenges to foster positive brain changes and the formation of new neural pathways,” explains the Center for BrainHealth’s website.
The Brain on Lifelong Learning
David Troxel is a partner on education for the San Francisco-based Institute on Aging, and the co-author of six books on memory care. He spoke about data gleaned from recently released results of the two-year U.S. POINTER Study by the Alzheimer’s Association.
“[It showed] that lifelong learning, staying intellectually active, is essential for brain health,” he said. “We should all learn a new brain-rich skill each decade [of our lives].”
Lifelong learning, research suggests, specifically strengthens the seat of memory, the hippocampus, and may even allow the brain to form new neurons. “A leading theory says that lots of activities build ‘cognitive reserve,’” said Troxel, “which carries through our whole life.”
According to the Harvard Medical School, “You can think of cognitive reserve as your brain’s ability to improvise and find alternate ways of getting a job done. It reflects how agile your brain is in pulling in skills and capacities to solve problems and cope with challenges. Cognitive reserve is developed by a lifetime of education and curiosity.”
As research continues to identify lifelong learning activities that have the most benefit, some of the same ones continue to crop up: learning a new language, learning a dance form, learning to play a musical instrument, taking up a new hobby. But Troxel points to other possibilities offering opportunities to build the brain’s resilience.
“The brain loves company,” he said. So interacting in a social setting, such as a workshop or class where there are give-and-take conversations, is another excellent choice. He also touted the brain benefits of volunteering, which often requires learning new skills and is interactive.
Then there are “brain games.” Troxel cautioned against overblown claims that these can “prevent Alzheimer’s.” They can be word games, like Wordle, number games like Sudoku or any number of specially-created board games.
“Major benefits are seen when you practice brain training because this allows for neuroplasticity to work its magic,” according to the medical website Common Spirit. “Use it or lose it,” said Troxel.
What about more passive learning, such as watching an engaging Nova episode? “That would be better than watching a [reality show] episode,” Troxel joked. “But interactive is best.”
Americans are apparently getting the message. “People of all ages are interested, particularly coming out of the pandemic. Experiences add happiness and vitality to our lives,” he said.
Local Lifelong Learning
Libraries, school districts, nonprofits… Opportunities for lifelong learning are everywhere. One of the largest and most prestigious programs is UC Berkeley’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), through which lifelong learners can take courses from some of the best minds in the country—with no tests and no grades.
OLLI at Berkeley was established in 2007 with support from the Bernard Osher Foundation and is one of 125 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes across the U.S. Though courses, lectures and events are aimed primarily at ages 50+, everyone is welcome. Its motto, “Feed Your Mind And Find Your People,” exemplifies what the institute aims for.
Susan Hoffman has been involved with OLLI for 25 years and is currently its director and assistant dean of lifelong learning, extended education. From the very beginning, she said, research has supported the idea that “learning was the thing that contributed across the board to healthy aging.”
UC Berkeley’s world-class roster of teachers gives its OLLI program especially rich opportunities to offer courses enhancing students’ knowledge of subjects as diverse as astrophysics, Irish literature and “The Art of the String Quartet.” While some of the most popular courses are on history, said Hoffman, there has been increased demand for classes on AI, cybersecurity and scientific breakthroughs. Music courses are often presented through a partnership with Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage.
Courses and instructors are evaluated by OLLI committee members and by students taking the courses. “We ask them to express what they are learning and how they are learning,” Hoffman said. “How is [what you learned] impacting your life?”
Like Troxel, she emphasized that research confirms activities involving both brain and body are the most beneficial for long-term brain health.
During a recent phone interview, Hoffman suggested the interviewer try writing their name with their left hand. The squiggle looked much like online signatures on DocuSign. But asking the brain to use other neural pathways to accomplish tasks gives it, as cited above, “alternate ways of getting a job done.” This prompted a pandemic memory of CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta noting that he was learning to draw with his left hand. A painting attempted by the viewer in this way resulted in an abstract but entertaining still life.
Interaction and social activity “is part of the Osher model,” Hoffman said. However, the institute does offer a “Best of OLLI” pre-recorded series for those unable to attend in person. OLLI also offers a speaker series, which on Oct. 10 presents “[Intergenerational Dialogue]: The Constitution and the Rule of Law.” That the value of lifelong learning is now a shared concept among generations has been evolving for decades, said Hoffman, as more and more people of all ages realize that it is possible for the brain to regenerate—lifelong.
The fall OLLI session began in September, but some courses start in October. An OLLI membership is necessary for enrollment, and there is a special ‘New Member’ offer on the OLLI Berkeley website, olli.berkeley.edu.
