Age-Related Cognitive Decline - How Drama Can Be Good For You!

The Theory

The current consensus on the aging brain is that there are concrete actions, including lifestyle choices that we can make to slow down and limit age-related cognitive decline. This helps in reducing the risk and onset of Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia. Diet, exercise, lowering stress, growing and nurturing social networks, and learning new things are all encouraged by researchers in the area of aging and cognition.

The Practice

As it turns out, acting and drama present an ideal way to stimulate many parts of the brain simultaneously, what scientists and educators describe as a multi-modal approach to learning. Acting engages physical (stage directions, what actors call "blocking"), emotional (getting to the heart of your character), and intellectual (understanding your character's circumstances, motivations, and environment) centres in the brain, for a full-on brain workout. 

The Results

Smart Acts uses a combination of drama exercises and Positive Psychology to promote brain fitness and nurture your sense of well-being. The classes are fun and engaging, and many new relationships are formed. Some join to rekindle their passion for the theatre, others join to make new friends, to try something new, to conquer their stage fright, to help with memory concerns. Couples often join and make it an innovative "date night". Some things are consistent, uproarious laughter, and a heightened sense of "being more present, more in the moment".