6 Seemingly ‘Harmless’ Habits That Are Prematurely Aging Your Brain

Just like our bodies, our brains change as we age. The older we get, the harder we recall information, like the name of a restaurant we went to or where we put our keys. Or it may take longer to learn something new.

But the good news is we actually have a lot of control in keeping our brains healthy and from aging prematurely — and it starts with daily habits. Most notably, the behaviors we avoid could have a positive impact on our cognition.

We talked to experts about seemingly harmless habits we may be doing every day that could be aging our brains — and what we can do instead. Here are the mistakes to correct ASAP:

1. You don’t get enough social interaction.

From working remotely to having a new baby to retiring, there are a lot of situations life throws at us that can make it more challenging to get out and be social.

“It’s so common in our culture to slowly lose our social network as we go through life,” said Dr. Zaldy Tan , the director of the Memory and Healthy Aging Program at Cedars-Sinai. “We need to have some kind of social network that we can turn to whenever we need it — or even if we don’t think we need it.”

So, how does socialization impact the brain? “Every time we meet someone new … we make a new connection within our brain between brain cells,” Tan explained. Plus, a strong social network has been shown to improve mood, which is linked to our brain health. ( Depression is one of the risk factors for dementia.)

While in-person interactions seem to be most beneficial for brain health, online socialization and virtual conversations can also help, said Dr. Glen Finney , a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and director of the Memory and Cognition Program at Geisinger Health.

“There are