35 Of The Most Brain-Scrambling “Today I Learned” Facts (New Facts)

The long and short of it is that we have to consistently take care of our brains if we want to live a healthy, happy, and high-quality life. A very wide range of factors contribute to this. For one, the positive relationships we build with the people we care about are paramount. Strong social networks make us more resilient to stress. On the flip side, loneliness is absolutely awful for our bodies, minds, and longevity.

On top of that, you have to get plenty of sleep, eat nutritious food, and get lots of movement throughout the week. Your body and mind are intrinsically linked. No matter how intelligent and skilled you are, your brain won’t thank you if all you ever do is stay cooped up inside, staring at screens and eating junk food.

Aside from investing in your relationships and taking better care of your health, you ought to give your mind some direct training as well. We all know how much better life is when we’re feeling fresh and sharp, not groggy and slow. But a big part of feeling bright and capable comes from taking the time and energy to try new things and learn new skills.

You could go for something as simple and fun as reading a book, putting together a puzzle, solving a crossword, or trying your hand at Sudoku. You could give learning a new language a try or pick an interesting subject to research, whether that’s something to do with psychology, history, science, or anything else.

Or you could pick up a new hobby to try out. Like painting, dancing, playing an instrument, or putting together an entire vintage car from scratch in your garage. It should be something that’s new to you but that you feel at least slightly enthusiastic about. Doing things that we find hard improves our willpower. However, we shouldn’t go through life having to force every single thing that we do. There’s a balance to be found here.

Dr. John N. Morris, the director of social and health policy at the Institute for Aging Research, which is affiliated with the Harvard Medical School, urges people to practice new and challenging activities.

“Eventually, your cognitive skills will wane and thinking and memory will be more challenging, so you need to build up your reserve. Embracing a new activity that also forces you to think and learn and requires ongoing practice can be one of the best ways to keep the brain healthy,” he said.

Morris stressed the fact that you cannot improve your memory if you don’t work at it. "The more time you devote to engaging your brain, the more it benefits. It is the constant repetition of working to improve, and not the quest for mastery, that can have the greatest impact.”

Which of the facts in this list surprised you the most? Were there any that you’d already heard about before, dear Pandas? Let us know in the comment section. In the meantime, if your curiosity is all fired up and you’d like to learn some more TIL facts about the world, feel free to read Bored Panda’s earlier posts.