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Jagpreet
28 August, 2024
Table of Contents
As the term implies, lifelong learning is a journey of learning throughout one’s life. It is a decision we make ourselves and for professional or personal reasons. The education that we impart through schools and colleges is often restricted to the curriculum. Lifelong learning transcends that boundary and this is often the knowledge that we gain from our experiences, daily activities, work and other interactions with the people around us. In simple words, what the textbooks teach is largely academic but lifelong learning extends beyond that and it is what stays with us.
Cognitive functions are those mental processes that are responsible for carrying out our tasks. They are perception, attention, memory, language and thinking. Naturally, these are the most active when we are younger. Day-to-day activities such as academics, sports and other areas where our decision-making skills are the most active help us sharpen our cognitive functions. At a young age, parents are advised to let their children play with toys that are colourful and require them to use their problem-solving skills such as puzzles. The aim is to test and use their cognitive functions that enhance their thinking and perception particularly. However, with age, these cognitive functions begin to decline and if not diagnosed on time, they may also lead to several health conditions.
At a relatively younger age today, people feel unsettled by the thought of even a mild memory loss. The old age is unfortunately not exclusive to the 70-80 year age bracket only. There are several younger age groups that are beginning to show signs of ageing that alarm them for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia. These concerns are often valid as it first begin to affect the memory, learning, problem-solving, and reasoning skills along with the language and special interaction of a person.
When it comes to lifelong learning, cognitive health is impacted positively. There is a significant reduction in the chances of dementia.
Neuroplasticity is one of the most remarkable features of our brain. It implies that our brain is capable of learning and adapting which encourages its growth when it is introduced to new experiences. This is possible even if it happens at a later stage in life. This is possible through mentally stimulating activities. Several such activities include reading and writing, playing games like sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, chess or even educational activities such as workshops and seminars. All these activities collectively contribute to the brain’s new learning experiences. This builds what we call the cognitive reserve which means the brain has the ability to compensate for all the age-related changes while declining the chances of mental ageing and other neurocognitive problems.
Human beings are social creatures. We are not accustomed to living an isolated life. If that happens, our brain can only remain healthy to a certain point in time. After that extent, there will be a decline in our cognitive function as the social interactions and meaningful conversations that we should ideally engage in stimulate our brain and its ability to think. When there is constant loneliness and social isolation, there are higher chances of poor cognitive performance and the cognitive functions begin to decline much faster. Through such activities, people often engage in conversations that are profound and meaningful. They are some of the richest sources of lifelong learning. Through such engagements, people also exchange new opinions. These opinions may or may not align with their own preconceived notions. When this happens, their thinking expands.
They learn to acknowledge the differences in opinions and if they come across something they did not know earlier, they try to rethink what they already know contemplating is also one of the mental activities that promote the brain to keep functioning.
When human beings are a part of the social culture where they interact with people who come from different walks of life, there is a sense of curiosity and excitement in the conversation that takes place. The exchange of opinions fosters creative thinking and challenges their existing notions. They are willingly involved in thinking and contemplating. Their ability to understand something different from what they know is enhanced and they become more flexible at welcoming new ideas. Social interaction also encourages more friendships and healthy relationships. This gives an individual a sense of security that they have someone who they can count on. When there is a healthy bond shared between the individuals, they develop trust and faith- two of the most valued qualities for any human being that caters to their emotional needs.
Such social interactions often help humans establish meaningful relations and make more friends. As a result, they develop a sense of accomplishment and feel socially secure. They are more occupied with such activities instead of investing their time in something absolutely unproductive. When there is a lack of such interactions, people often feel lonely and isolated. This is also often accompanied by depression. While depression may not always show visible signs, its presence can simply indicate how serious detaching yourself from your social conditions can prove to be.
As we grow older, there are multiple responsibilities we begin to look after. These lead to an increased stress level and often get overwhelming. Social interactions help in calming our brains and reducing overthinking or unwanted thoughts.
The gaming industry has skyrocketed the use of video games. Even board games have been replaced by digital versions. What is concerning here, is that what earlier used to be one of the sources of life-long learning has now been replaced by the digital version and has unfortunately maligned the sole purpose of learning something productive. Additionally, these games have also severely impacted the cognitive functions of children at a young age. Children who are repeatedly glued to video games often show low levels of attention and hyperstimulation. They develop aggression and their sleep is highly disrupted. This often leads to a deficit in their organic social interaction as their maximum time is often consumed by their digital use.
Mental stimulation includes the activities that challenge our brain such as puzzles. They are necessary for our neuroplasticity. These activities include musical instruments. Creative hobbies that we may have and engaging in meaningful conversations with others.
Cognitive reserve is our brain’s ability to compensate. There are studies that support the fact that dementia can be avoided if there are higher levels of cognitive reserve. Evidence has been seen that people with high cognitive reserve are less likely to develop such neurocognitive disorders.
Activities such as reading, writing, and engaging in any of our favourite hobbies can prove to be significantly beneficial.
Art promotes creativity and emotional expression. Children who are not verbally expressive are often asked to draw or paint whatever is their on their minds. This is one of the most effective ways of therapy even for adults. This helps them feel much calmer and relaxed while also dedicating them to a creative hobby that involves no digital use.
We cannot detach ourselves from the digital world or the social media platforms in particular. They are also necessary for interactions. Having said that, we must make a decision as to how much time should we devote to digital consumption on a daily basis. In the long run, it can definitely hamper our cognitive functioning, but if used the right way, it can also prove to be beneficial.
