Assessment
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Quick Win
Break out of your usual routine and check out a local event, new eatery or green space. Adventure solo or with a friend!
Try This Today
- Scan the paper and online groups for announcements about lectures, book readings or performances and attend an event that interests you.
- Visit a restaurant, diner or café you haven’t been to. Bonus points: Try an unfamiliar cuisine.
- Venture out to a new-to-you hiking trail, park or arboretum. Enjoy the fresh air and natural beauty.
Why
There may be truth to the saying that variety is the spice of life. New environments expose you to a range of people, activities, sights and sounds. Having an array of experiences “has been shown to improve cognitive health and intellectual abilities through older age,” according to the authors of a paper published in Psychology and Aging in 2024. “Diverse daily experiences,” the researchers say, “may promote broader knowledge, social networks, and a sense of purpose,” and are “an important component of healthy and resilient aging.”
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