• Posted April 24, 2026

These Fun Pursuits Help Middle-Aged Folks Protect Brain Health, Study Finds

Picking up an instrument. Taking a trip abroad. Going out to dinner with friends.

All of these are pleasant activities that add spice to life.

And they are also some of the most powerful ways to boost brain power and reduce one’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, a new study says.

Engaging in physically, socially and intellectually stimulating activities in middle age can boost brain activity even among people with a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s, researchers reported April 21 in the Journal of Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.

“We were surprised to see that stimulating everyday activities significantly boost cognition in midlife, decades before age-related cognitive decline sets in,” said senior researcher Lorina Naci, a professor of psychology at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.

“Crucially, we saw that bigger benefits came from a mix of different activities, rather than one single one,” Naci said in a news release. “Our results suggest that variety is key and that a combination of physical, social and mental stimulation is most effective for boosting brain health.”

For the new study, researchers analyzed data from 700 folks between 40 and 59 years of age with good brain health across Ireland and the U.K. who are participating in a decade-long study. A third of the participants carry genetic risk for Alzheimer’s.

Results showed that a stimulating activity can overpower even the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s in shaping brain health in midlife.

These activities included socializing with family or friends, practicing a musical instrument, creating art, exercising, reading, learning a second language and traveling.

The study also found that the two most harmful risk factors for brain health were symptoms of depression and traumatic brain injury. Others included diabetes, high blood pressure, poor sleep and hearing loss.

These results show that people can take their brain health into their own hands, by pursuing stimulating activities and by getting treatment for conditions like depression, diabetes or high blood pressure, Naci said.

“This research is empowering: It shows that engaging in a diverse range of stimulating activities – such as socializing, learning new skills, staying physically active and nurturing mental health – can actively strengthen cognitive resilience decades before any symptoms appear, even for those with genetic risk and family history of dementia,” Naci said.

This reframes brain health as something people can shape through lifestyle choices, encouraging earlier and more sustained engagement in enjoyable activities, she said.

“It also shows that governments who are serious about reducing the future burden of dementia need to prioritize lifestyle mid-life interventions, including mental health support, cardiovascular risk management, brain injury prevention and access to lifelong learning and community engagement programs,” Naci added.

Researchers will continue to follow the participants over time to see how these risk factors evolve.

More information

The National Institute on Aging has more on risk and protective factors for dementia.

SOURCE: Trinity College Dublin, news release, April 21, 2026