Lifelong bookworms have better memory in old age

Bookworm better memory IQ

Based on the results of a new study, individuals who read and participate in other brain-stimulating activities throughout their lives tend to be rewarded in old age with better memory. As a result, those who consider themselves to be bookworms may want to take an IQ test and see if their lust for literature has had a positive effect on their cognitive abilities.

In the study, researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Ill., worked with data from 294 older adults. These participants had their memory and other cognitive skills measured every year for about six years before their deaths, which occurred at the age of 89, on average. In addition, the researchers set out to see what types of mentally stimulating activities these individuals engaged in, from childhood up until their age at the time of the study.

The study participants who engaged in activities such as reading and writing experienced a slower rate of memory decline in old age than those who did not.

"Based on this, we shouldn't underestimate the effects of everyday activities, such as reading and writing, on our children, ourselves and our parents or grandparents," said Robert S. Wilson, the study's author.

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