Older people who regularly evaluate their thoughts, feelings and behaviors are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, a study has found. This is because just having 10 minutes of self-reflection every day can improve your cognitive and brain health.
Experts said, “Alzheimer’s disease is the most common degenerative brain disease that causes dementia.” said.
A team of researchers from University College London in the UK conducted two clinical trials on 259 people aged 70 and over and analyzed the data following conducting two clinical trials. The research team measured how often subjects thought through self-reflection and tried to understand their thoughts and feelings. Self-reflection refers to looking back at one’s own words and actions to see if there are any mistakes or shortcomings.
The study found that people with more self-reflection had better brain health, as well as better memory, concentration and problem-solving skills. “There is growing evidence that positive psychological factors such as purpose in life and conscience can reduce the risk of dementia,” said lead author Harriet Demnitz-King. He added, “Because it is not dependent on physical health or socioeconomic factors, anyone can do self-reflection and potentially increase the degree of self-reflection.”
“It’s not clear why self-reflection might provide a protective effect,” the researchers said. “However, self-reflection may be related to feeling calmer, reducing stress levels in the body, or improving mental health.” . “This study shows that spending time each day thinking regarding work, relationships and social encounters can reduce the risk of dementia,” the researchers said.
“If self-reflection positively affects brain function, it might one day be used as a psychotherapy to help people form healthy thinking patterns and to reduce the risk of dementia,” said Dr Richard Oakley, associate research director at the Alzheimer’s Society UK. said. The findings of the study (Association Between Self-Reflection, Cognition, and Brain Health in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults) were published in Neurology.
By Kwon Soon-il, staff reporter [email protected]
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