Evidence
Everything below traces back to the studies behind it.
Evidence
Shows entries with at least one systematic review, meta-analysis or randomised controlled trial among their sources.
5 results
Intellectual Wellness · Concept
7 sources: 3 meta-analyses, 4 systematic reviews
Bilingualism and the brain: a genuinely contested area
Whether speaking two languages protects the aging brain: prospective studies did not find protection from dementia while retrospective studies suggested later symptom onset (Mukadam 2017), and bilinguals were on average 3.45 years older at symptom onset in one meta-analysis (Li 2025).
Judge health claims for myself
beta · 0.9 review setsome sources abstract-only
Intellectual Wellness · Concept
9 sources: 1 cohort study, 5 meta-analyses, 1 other design, 2 systematic reviews
Cognitive reserve: education, work and mental activity in the dementia studies
Decades of education, complex work, and mental activity track with a brain that copes better with aging, an association, not a guarantee.
Keep learning new thingsKeep my mind activeStay capable as I get older
beta · 0.9 review set
Intellectual Wellness · Concept
11 sources: 2 meta-analyses, 2 narrative reviews, 7 systematic reviews
Combined Physical and Cognitive Programs: What the Reviews Compared
Reviews of multidomain programs: two-thirds of multidomain trials showed cognitive improvement (Castro 2023), programs combining cognitive training with physical exercise were reported as particularly effective (González 2025), and mind-body exercise, cognitive training and physical exercise showed positive effects against passive controls (Seok 2024).
Keep my mind activeSupport my brain health as I age
beta · 0.9 review setsome sources abstract-only
Intellectual Wellness · Concept
5 sources: 1 meta-analysis, 4 systematic reviews
Near vs far transfer: the honest limits of brain training
Practice makes you better at the practiced task (near transfer). Broad gains to everyday thinking (far transfer) are weak and contested.
Judge health claims for myself
beta · 0.9 review setsome sources abstract-only
Intellectual Wellness · Practice
7 sources: 3 meta-analyses, 4 systematic reviews
Learn a new language
Taking up a language and practising it regularly: one way to carry out what the language-learning sources studied. Ware 2021 reports some indications of cognitive benefits in later life, especially for executive functions, and Mukadam 2017 that prospective studies did not find protection from dementia.
Get genuinely good at somethingKeep learning new thingsKeep my mind active
beta · 0.9 review setsome sources abstract-only