Novelty for Brain Health

Brains like novelty. Exposure to new and different things gives your brain a rush of dopamine and makes it happy. Have you tried something new lately?

For an overview of the science on the importance of novelty, check out this article from Brain World magazine.

Pair novelty with healthy routines for a well-balanced life.

Here are some new things that I have done in the past year or two. I hope this list will give you ideas and inspiration to add a bit of novelty to your week.

• Visit state parks that I have not been to before.

• Go to public gardens that I have not been to before. This spring, I went to St Cloud and walked at the St. John’s arboretum and visited the Munsinger and Clemens gardens. It was a delightful day.

• Try a new restaurant.

• Listen to music in a different genre.

• Take a Coursera class (the one I took was free!).

• Shop at a different grocery store.

• Learn a new language (I used Babbel and will admit that I didn’t get very far).

• Try a new activity or sport.

• Get a cookbook from the library and make a few new recipes.

• Try a new hobby. A friend helped me make my first quilt and am I so glad we did that together.

• Start a new job - this was both stressful and exciting. I still have my Structural Integration practice, now on a part-time basis.

• Watch a webinar or YouTube video. During the shutdown, I watched bodywork webinars. While visiting my brother recenty, we watched a video about restoring an old truck and that was fun and interesting.

• Change your morning routine. I changed my usual breakfast and added doing a short reflection.