Can Making Art Protect You from Memory Problems in Later Life?

An article by Tom Post in Pacific Standard recently caught my attention because it detailed a Mayo Clinic study about the positive affects of decades of making art that could mean "fewer cognitive problems in old age." Since I've painted, sculpted, and drawn pictures all of my life, I was intrigued. Making art and being creative are good for our mental well-being. It makes a lot of sense.

The article also mentions the positive impact using a computer can have for older people, especially if they picked up the habit of surfing the Web in their middle years. This is great news for writers. After all, where do we spend much of our time?

Socializing with others is also important when it comes to remembering and thinking. As with working in the arts and getting on the computer, it's important to start in mid-life and continue through the later years.

I really loved this quote from the Tom Post article:

“Long ago, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ was a common expression,” Dr. James Galvin writes in a comment accompanying the study, which is published in the journal Neurology. “Perhaps today, the expression should expand to include painting an apple, going to the store with a friend to buy an apple, and using an Apple product.”

Arts Alive Mixed Media artist workshop ©Mary Montague Sikes

Bloggers should delight  in this small but interesting Mayo Clinic study. Let's keep writing, using the computer, and never give up painting! Go were you find the joy.