Who's vital for the day, bubbling with energy, and motivated and persistent. But did you know that a vital lifestyle also keeps your brain fit? During our Otherside Xperience event Erik Scherder, Professor of Neuropsychology, gave the audience a peek under the brain bar: "Don't let your brain sit down".
"Live a great life, but never choose the path of least resistance."
Who is Erik Scherder?
Erik Scherder (°1951) is Professor of Neuropsychology at VU University Amsterdam and Professor of Exercise Science at the University of Groningen. He became known to the general public through his participation in "Universiteit van Nederland" and "De Wereld Draait Door". Erik Scherder has published several books, including "The Brain Wants to Read" and "Getting Old, Staying Young".
"The Brain Wants to Read" and "Growing Old, Staying Young".
"Our brain is a vast network of neural pathways that branch out into nodes", says Erik Scherder. "The more branches, the better. With an active lifestyle, you stimulate these connections and thus your cognitive functions."
"Keeping the brain in shape is not difficult at all", emphasizes the professor. <"Yet we do far too little of it today. We are facing a pandemic of exercise poverty. I am very worried, especially for our young people. After all, their brains are still developing."
"As office workers, we sit on a chair all day. Our bodies are not made for it. For every 30 minutes of sitting, there should be three minutes of exercise", says Erik Scherder. It is scientifically proven that this reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
But our brains also want to move:"The blood flow to the brain network decreases when we sit still too much," explains Erik Scherder. "The consequences are obvious: loss of concentration, lethargy and general mental fatigue."
Let your brain "mind-walk" every day,
Letting your mind wander from time to time - without new impulses entering your brain - works wonders. During such a moment of mind wandering, the creative, solution-focused network in our brain is activated. Erik Scherder: "Give every employee twenty minutes of brain rest twice a day."
"Give every employee 20 minutes of brain rest twice per workday."
Even at night, our brains are never "off". While we lie in bed, it works diligently to process impressions from the day. What you have learned gets a place in your memory and you process all kinds of emotions.
Erik Scherder: "Those who sleep too little do not give the brain enough processing time. In addition, you start reacting more strongly to negative emotions. This is because our amygdala, the emotional center of the brain, goes into overdrive when we are tired."
What about artificial intelligence? It seems to make our lives easier, but for our brains it's not so harmless. "From cars parking themselves to Chat GPT doing research and structures for us: from a learning point of view, these are dramatic developments", emphasizes Erik Scherder. "The blood flow to the brain decreases as soon as there are fewer impulses coming in."
His advice: "Read a book instead of binging a series or explore an unfamiliar city with a city map instead of Google Maps. And for the workplace: create enough variety in jobs, as continuous repetition of the same task also makes our brain lazy."
"Working from home can be convenient, but our brains require a rich environment with lots of activity."
Our brains need lots of stimuli. And you don't get enough of that in your home office, according to the professor: "When you went back to work in the office for the first time after the lockdown, were you also disturbed by the crowds and the many sounds around you? Our cerebral cortex is tasked with filtering all these stimuli, but had somehow not learned to do so after months of isolation."
"A low-stimulation, lonely home work environment is bad for our brain and our well-being," he continues. "Working from home can be cozy and comfortable, but our brains really require a richer environment with a lot more turbulence."
"Your brain only stays fit if you give it enough challenges", concludes the professor. "So make sure you live a good life, whatever your age. But make no mistake: good is not necessarily comfortable. Keep looking for new challenges, make an effort and, above all, never choose the path of least effort."
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