Is learning the secret to longevity? Read this article to find out.
Online studies are time-effective and cost-efficient. Not only don’t you need to show up for classroom discussions, you pay lesser school fees, too.
Brain Aerobics But here’s one more lesson to sign up for online studies, especially if you’re an adult learner. Research shows that those who engage actively in continuing education are more likely to live longer and to better fight the ravages of memory loss, aging, and lethargy. It doesn’t matter what you study. Whether you’re learning nursing, elementary teaching, social education, or something else, you force your gray matter to perform aerobics each time you study.
There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Online studies help you fight aging better than good medical care ever could. In 1999, a ground-breaking dissertation by Adriana Lleras-Muney reported that the life expectancy of people who reach the age of 35 increase by 18 months if they complete another year of education – be this through online studies or regular university attendance. In a related study, it was also found that people with higher levels of schooling are significantly healthier.
Education – the New Anti-aging Elixir? What is it about education that delays aging? Researchers believe that keeping the mind active is the best way to keep the body active as well. Even education in the form of online programs help because not only do online classes keep the brain active, they answer important social needs among seniors as well. For one, online programs increase socialization. Through interaction with a mentor, seniors would feel less lonely and isolated. At the same time, they go through materials that keep their gray matter working, thereby improving their memory, stimulating their intellectual curiosity, and keeping them emotionally engaged.
Study Harder, Live Better Just how effective are online programs at arresting aging? In 2003, the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that seniors who continue to read and simultaneously engage in artistic and physical activities are at lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In a 2005 landmark study by two Toronto researchers and educators, it was shown that the higher the education, the more likely a mature student will recruit frontal regions to perform mental activities. This results in better memory performance.
Clearly, there’s no better way to work at being healthy than signing up for online programs. Even homebound adults can keep their minds active through a wide variety of educational choices, foremost of which are online classes and use of teaching software. Think about this: in 2006, 172 million American adults were taking classes online. Of this number, 14 million were aged 65 and above.
Doesn’t that want to make you go back to school, too?
