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Sixty-two-year-old founder Marie Jerusalem has never felt more able to adapt to the changing demands of the corporate world. \u201cMy body\u2019s not as agile as it used to be, but mentally I\u2019m stronger today than I\u2019ve probably ever been in my entire career,\u201d she tells Fortune<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At 57, Jerusalem was let go from her chief people officer role in private equity. But she wasn\u2019t financially, or emotionally, ready to retire<\/a>. After working for a few years as a business consultant in HR, she pivoted to launch Rocket50, a membership community and job search platform that assists older workers. To get her business off the ground, she had to quickly acquire a host of new skills\u2014from integrating AI to creating marketing and social media strategies.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jerusalem rejects the notion that older people don\u2019t want to learn new ways of doing things, and credits the demands of launching a business\u2014gaining new skills and engaging with others\u2014for boosting her confidence and mental resilience.\u00a0<\/p>\n People often assume the mind does not work optimally with age. While there are some normal age-related declines in thinking speed and attention, people\u2019s decision-making and abstract reasoning skills may actually improve with age, according to research from the National Institute on Aging and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC).<\/p>\n It\u2019s good news, as employees age\u00a055 and older are expected to constitute more than a quarter of the workforce over the next decade,<\/a> and Americans are increasingly working past retirement age<\/a> either because they want to stay engaged or because finances and caregiving duties make it impossible not to. Regardless of why they\u2019re working, they all have one thing in common: They want to stay mentally sharp. Fortunately, the brain is adaptable, and experts say some daily habits can help people maintain cognitive resilience well into older age.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sleep is critical for everyone\u2019s health, but it\u2019s especially important for the aging brain. \u201cSleep disturbances have been associated with cognitive impairment and decreased physical function,\u201d says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, director of the CUIMC Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research.\u00a0<\/p>\n While seven to nine hours of shut-eye per night is the gold standard, about a third of older adults don\u2019t meet the minimum, according to a study published in BMC Public Health. Experts recommend sticking to a regular sleep and wake schedule, and developing a nightly wind-down<\/a> that includes limiting screen time and engaging in a calming activity, in addition to any other doctor-recommended interventions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Research has also long spotlighted the role of exercise<\/a> in protecting vital brain function. Movement helps counter age-related shrinkage of the brain\u2019s hippocampus, which is responsible for memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t take much activity to see positive results: A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health<\/em> found that even 10 minutes daily of moderate to vigorous movement like brisk walking, biking, or hiking can improve mental processing, such as planning and completing tasks efficiently. Exercise also helps reduce sleep problems like insomnia.<\/p>\n Maintaining strong friendships and relationships can feel at odds with work and caregiving duties. However, having coffee with a colleague, volunteering in your community, or hosting a family dinner will help keep the brain stimulated.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in a very\u00a0fast-changing world, and we need to stay abreast of all those changes. We become irrelevant when we stop learning.\u201d<\/p>\n Marie Jerusalem, 62-year-old founder<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cSocial activity protects against a variety of negative health outcomes in older age, including cognitive decline, dementia, and even early mortality,\u201d says Patricia Boyle, PhD, a trustee of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation and a neuropsychologist with the Rush Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Center in Chicago. It may even maintain the brain\u2019s resilience in the face of disease, she adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, socializing, especially across generations<\/a>, expands people\u2019s perspectives, which invigorates the mind as one considers new ways of thinking, explains Dr. Tara Swart, a leading neuroscientist and author of The Source: Open Your Mind. Change Your Life<\/em>.<\/p>\n The brain keeps developing well into old age. But the brain plateaus when people don\u2019t engage in attention-intensive activities, Swart says. Launching a business, like Jerusalem did, is one such activity, but you don\u2019t have to do something that intense to reap the benefits.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLearning a new language or a musical instrument is so difficult that it forces your brain to change,\u201d Swart notes, strengthening executive functioning, and the ability to regulate emotions and solve complex problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even passively enjoying the arts can serve as a brain booster. The novel field of neuroaesthetics suggests that anything from listening to an opera to watching ballet to observing a painting can improve attention and ultimately lengthen one\u2019s lifespan. \u201cThose forms of beauty have a really beneficial impact on us,\u201d Swart says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that people who have a positive view of aging tend to live longer and have better physical and cognitive health.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maddy Dychtwald, author of Ageless Aging<\/em>, says there are a host of positives that come with climbing the chronological ladder, such as wisdom and self-acceptance. \u201cWe have agency that we never thought we had before,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lesley Steinman, a research scientist in the health promotion research center at the University of Washington, cautions against using outdated terms, like \u201csilver tsunami,\u201d that perpetuate negative stereotypes about aging.<\/p>\n A researcher with the Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives (PEARLS), Steinman helps older adults stay engaged and play an active role in how they age. \u201cPeople are often surprised that there\u2019s quite a bit of things they can do, even though there still are systemic and structural issues making their lives difficult,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Positive thinking can also help ease mental health issues like depression<\/a>\u2014of particular concern for aging adults who may be faced with health challenges or coping with loss and grief. Habits like sleeping well, exercising, and thinking positively may help reduce stress and depression, which in turn can sharpen cognitive performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jerusalem has no plans to retire anytime soon. She wakes up every day eager to learn and engage with older workers. She says the second she loses motivation, she\u2019ll try something new. \u201cFind your passion and stay engaged for as long as you can, because that\u2019s what really makes you feel like you\u2019re alive,\u201d she says.\u2002<\/p>\n This article appeared in the June\/July issue<\/a> of <\/em>Fortune with the headline \u201cThe best plan for your brain as you age.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe basics<\/h2>\n
A friendly neighbor<\/h2>\n
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Lifelong learning<\/h2>\n
A fresh spin on aging<\/h2>\n