Don’t deny yourself the luxury of curling up with that murder mystery, tragic tale, romance, or sci-fi thriller this weekend. Consider it self-defense class for your brain. Being a bookworm doesn’t just make you smart. It makes you mentally tough. It builds so much cognitive reserve that bookworms’ brains may be bolstered against bad things like pollution and toxins.

On cognitive tests, book lovers out-perform people with lower reading levels.  No surprise there.  But the big news is that people who read regularly may develop a "cognitive reserve." What’s that mean? That they’ve got extra brainpower to keep the mind rolling when brain cells are under attack.

In a study of factory workers, the brains of the big readers functioned just fine on cognitive tasks. In addition to making a trip to your local bookstore, ditch the tobacco. Smoking (and secondhand smoke) kills brain cells. Take a walk! Give your mind a mental workout with a crossword puzzle or game of chess.  Compensate for age-related memory changes. Get more B vitamins in your diet as they protect against brain drain. 

 

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