Your brain loves novelty.
When you engage in new activities, or take up a new skill, your brain rewards you with a boost in Dopamine, the happiness neurotransmitter.
Why does the brain love novelty?
Because the brain is selfish. It likes to do anything that helps it grow bigger and stronger.
Every time you engage in a new activity and then practice it, you create a new neural pathway. Neural pathways are a series of neurons (brain cells) called into action to communicate with each other. When you repeat new activities, these neurons communicating with each other begin to form a permanent neural pathway, thus growing the size of your brain.
This is why it is critical for older people to engage in new activities – new activities keep older brains active and growing.
Those who want to grow their brains should engage in a new activity periodically and repeat it until it becomes a skill. This can take anywhere from 18 days to 254 days. Each new activity that becomes a skill, creates brain mass and keeps your mind active and your brain healthy.
About Thomas C. Corley
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