Want to stay sharp? This simple habit can boost your brainpower for decades

Brain power peaks at a much later age than you realise. Your cognitive skills can develop even in middle age.

Cognitive skills like problem-solving and thinking are generally thought to develop in childhood, peak in the twenties, and start to decline by the thirties. However, this is not the case in reality.

Study says your cognitive skills can develop till 40s. (Shutterstock)

A study published in Science Advances flipped this general narrative, revealing that literacy and numeracy skills do not start to decline in the thirties and, in fact, may continue improving into the forties. After that, whether they plateau or decline depends on the individual.

What the study found

Researchers conducted an experiment on German adults for over 3.5 years. The study followed the same people to get an accurate assessment of the ageing's effect on cognitive skills.

This is what the findings revealed:

• Cognitive skills don't decline as early as 30s, but keep improving at least till 40.
• Post 40, the literacy skills stay stable but the numeracy skills slightly fall. But still depends on person to person.
• Those who are active with reading and math tasks see little to no decline in these cognitive skills. They keep improving into the 50s, and see barely any decline even by age 65.

How to keep your mind active and sharp with age?

A child is curious and tries many things, which keeps their brain sharp. Adults, however, fall into routines and stop challenging their minds in the same way, which can lead to a decline in cognitive skills over time.(Shutterstock)

The decline of cognitive skills doesn't solely happen because of ageing. It goes down with age as we stop challenging the brain. Those who stay active, reading, writing, and using maths in everyday life, tend to have much better cognitive skills even in old age.

This is why one needs to embrace habits like reading books, solving puzzles, and writing to keep the mind strong.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.