Check out the featured post and read more here: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/current-events/neuroscience-now-proves-mental-sharpness-can-improve-well-into-later-life.html
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a veterinarian. I volunteered endless hours at the shelter, spent my free time writing advocacy campaigns, and made sure every animal within arm’s reach was cared for well. By the time I reached high school, I’d even taken pre-animal science classes to be prepared. You can imagine my shock when I realized I wasn’t good at math or science, and my dreams came crashing down. I’d always struggled with numbers, so I quickly knew this career wouldn’t be in my future. There was no way I could “learn” how to be smarter at subjects I always sucked at.
But new research suggests cognitive engagement doesn’t require expensive programs or intense “brain bootcamps.” At every stage of life, simple mental challenges can make a measurable difference. For children and teens, reading regularly or learning a new language strengthens developing minds. In midlife, writing, reading, or playing music offers meaningful cognitive benefits. Even later in life, activities like crossword puzzles, chess, and checkers can help maintain mental sharpness. The takeaway is encouraging: the brain remains responsive to challenge across the lifespan. Small, consistent habits—many of them low-cost—can support mental resilience and long-term cognitive health at any age.
If God designed our minds with lifelong capacity for growth, how might we steward that gift—choosing habits that sharpen wisdom, deepen focus, and help us love Him with all our minds?
The Myth of a “Fixed” Brain
Like child-Amber, there’s a common cultural assumption and misunderstanding that we’re good at some things and bad at others. We even go as far as to say, “I’m just not good at learning anymore,” “My brain isn’t what it used to be,” “That ship has sailed,” or “I’ll never be any better at XYZ.” According to recent research developments in neuroscience, we’re seeing a shift. More specifically, a shift that the Bible has always talked about when it comes to renewing our minds (Romans 12:2 and Philippians 4:8).
This shift is called neuroplasticity, and it’s the mind’s ability to rewire itself over time. This means that the brain isn’t static or “done” after youth. It also means you could be bad at math yesterday, and learn to be good at it later in life. Because growth doesn’t require expensive apps, elite training, or exhausting routines, but it does require a hopeful, persevering, and willing mind. Cognitive growth can be gentle, accessible, and integrated into ordinary life if we learn to understand it. And the brain responds to challenge at every age, when we invite it to.
How the Brain Grows
In Philippians 4:8, we read these words: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (NIV). The cool thing about this Scripture is that it goes hand-in-hand with what neuroplasticity is said to do—form new connections and strengthen existing ones. In other words, it’s the brain’s ability to adapt, grow, and change with time.
Think about it this way: What we practice, we reinforce. What we avoid, we gradually weaken. If I tell myself “I’m stupid,” over time, I’m going to believe that to be true, even if it’s not. That means the opposite is true. When we recite God’s good truth over ourselves, thinking about things that are right, true, lovely, and pure, the more we will live like it. But I have to clarify here. Neuroplasticity doesn’t mean endless improvement without limits, but it does mean that change is always possible.
To make changes, our mental engagement is what matters most, not the intensity or cost. So, what does that mean for you and me? It means that small challenges done consistently matter more than dramatic efforts done briefly. And that’s really good news. Because no one has the time, nor the energy, to completely overhaul their life. But neuroplasticity helps us see that small incremental changes over time will actually make big differences down the road.