I am 64 years old, finally retired and trying to make up for my misspent youth. Now I want to make every day count—it is not primarily about having fun, unless you count studying (languages) and (athletic) training fun. I was concerned that after many years of finding nothing good to read, books could no longer hold my interest. To my relief, I have found that this is not completely true. However, the authors that can still keep me engaged write crime fiction. Besides simple diversion, how can I justify this use of my time? I can pretty much spot the plot devices and tropes.
Yes. There’s evidence that it helps delay dementia:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/do-reading-puzzles-and-similar-activities-really-stave-off-dementia#:~:text=A%20study%20published%20in%20Neurology,aged%2080%20years%20and%20over.
From the link:
A study published in Neurology in 2021 found that high levels of cognitive activity, such as reading, playing games like checkers and puzzles, and writing letters, can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by 5 years among those aged 80 years and over.
Another study, published in 2022 in PNAS, found that more time spent in cognitively passive activities, such as watching TV, is linked to increased dementia risk, whereas more time spent in cognitively active tasks, such as using a computer, is linked to a reduced risk of dementia.
And a study from JAMA OpenTrusted Source, published in July 2023, found that frequently engaging in brain-challenging activities, including journaling, playing chess, and solving crossword puzzles was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia among older adults.
I’ve seen some pretty serious critiques of those studies though. Basically it comes down to the fact that the people reading/puzzling ARE NOT THE SAME PEOPLE as the ones watching TV. So therefore comparing them and saying one activity PREVENTS dementia is a flawed analysis. It maybe more likely that people with mild dementia already don’t like doing brain-engaging activities precisely because it hurts their dementia riddled brain, whereas folks without mild dementia have brains that can tolerate intellectually stimulating challenges.
It’s often repeated, but people still ignore it all the time - correlation does not imply causation.