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Ageing Well
‘Even to your old age…I am He who will sustain you.’
Isaiah 46:4
Doctor Marian Diamond, a researcher in ageing, found that deliberately induced challenges are required to keep our brains healthy and functioning.
In one experiment a group of lab rats was given food, while another group had obstacles placed in front of their dishes. The rats that had to overcome challenges learned to solve problems more proficiently than the comfortable rats. The fewer problems a rat experienced, the faster its brain went downhill.
They also discovered that if you put twelve rats together in a cage and gave them challenges, their brains developed better than when they had to face the same obstacles in isolation. And when researchers ran the same experiment with rats that were 600 days or older (the equivalent of 60 human years), the results were the same. The rats actually lived to be 800 days old.
Then researchers decided to show them love. The rodents had the same challenges as before, but afterwards researchers would pick them up, hold them against their lab coats, pet them, and speak kindly. They’d say, ‘You’re one sweet rat,’ or whatever it is you say to a rat! And when they did, those creatures did more than break the 800-day barrier. At 904 days, not only were they alive—they were continuing to develop. The fact is they developed more mental resilience under challenging conditions because they were part of a community, whereas isolation caused their brain power to diminish.
The basic fact is: to age well you need a God-given challenge, love, and good relationships
written by Bob Gass
‘Even to your old age…I am He who will sustain you.’
Isaiah 46:4
Doctor Marian Diamond, a researcher in ageing, found that deliberately induced challenges are required to keep our brains healthy and functioning.
In one experiment a group of lab rats was given food, while another group had obstacles placed in front of their dishes. The rats that had to overcome challenges learned to solve problems more proficiently than the comfortable rats. The fewer problems a rat experienced, the faster its brain went downhill.
They also discovered that if you put twelve rats together in a cage and gave them challenges, their brains developed better than when they had to face the same obstacles in isolation. And when researchers ran the same experiment with rats that were 600 days or older (the equivalent of 60 human years), the results were the same. The rats actually lived to be 800 days old.
Then researchers decided to show them love. The rodents had the same challenges as before, but afterwards researchers would pick them up, hold them against their lab coats, pet them, and speak kindly. They’d say, ‘You’re one sweet rat,’ or whatever it is you say to a rat! And when they did, those creatures did more than break the 800-day barrier. At 904 days, not only were they alive—they were continuing to develop. The fact is they developed more mental resilience under challenging conditions because they were part of a community, whereas isolation caused their brain power to diminish.
The basic fact is: to age well you need a God-given challenge, love, and good relationships
written by Bob Gass
