A surprising way to keep your brain sharp

A tip from Dr. Sanjay Gupta

How do you keep your brain sharp as you get older? This is a major preoccupation for many of us. Here’s an interesting tip, via the CNN medical guru, Dr. Sanjay Gupta: try using your non-dominant hand during your everyday activities. 

Per Dr. Gupta, it is vitally important to “stretch” your mind by doing new and sometimes scary things. (Which rhymes with my recent episode on the science of dishabituation, by the way.) 

One simple way to get out of your comfort zone is to try doing stuff with your non-dominant hand. During the pandemic, Dr. Gupta took up painting, and he increased the degree of difficulty by using his left hand. 

But you don’t need to embark on a whole new hobby to operationalize this advice. Just try to get into the habit of opening doors, brushing your teeth, or eating with the hand you don’t normally use. 

Dr. Gupta came on the show today to talk about the five pillars of brain health, and I’ve put links for you to watch or listen below.

Also, paid subscribers can join the chat about this episode, which I just dropped. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Below is a cheatsheet with key takeaways, time-stamped highlights, and a full transcript of the episode. If you’re not a paid member, smash the bottom right below this paragraph.