Life often throws unexpected obstacles our way, which can derail our best plans. For example, you might find the gym closed when you can go, or it starts raining when you’re about to run.
To stay on track, try this: think about these possible challenges ahead of time and plan alternative actions. For instance, make a plan like ‘If the gym is closed, I’ll do a home workout instead.’
Research has shown that it helps if people identify these barriers beforehand. This approach, known as ‘implementation intentions,’ helps you prepare for and overcome potential hurdles, keeping you closer to your goals.
The GetBrainHealthy tool provides Quizzes that serve as opportunities for introspection, inviting you to reflect on your daily life,
how you interact with the world, and identify steps you can take to boost your brain health.
The quizzes serve as a guide to foster greater awareness of brain health,
but they are not designed to replace the expertise of medical professionals or mental health professionals.
If you need further support or specialised advice, we strongly encourage you to seek assistance
from local healthcare providers.
All quizzes have been designed based on scientific evidence from two streams of research.
The first stream of research has identified optimal conditions for high cognitive performance, such as the absence of stress or individual preferences on how to learn new material. The second stream of research has identified protective and risk factors for maintaining cognitive functioning up to advanced ages.
By reflecting on the factors presented in the quizzes, we invite you to gain a deeper understanding of
the drivers of our everyday and long-term cognitive performance. We then suggest actions to address any
barriers or challenges you may identify during the reflection.
GetBrainHealthy forms the practical application of the CRISP project’s findings
Funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the CRISP project (grant agreement no. 803239), led by Prof. Dr. Anja Leist, focuses on social and behavioural determinants of cognitive ageing and dementia, investigating the interplay of inequalities, education, and sex/gender with risk factors for dementia with sophisticated statistical models.
CRISP and parallel efforts of other research groups have, over the last years, consolidated evidence on how to improve brain health and reduce the risk of dementia, for example, the large contribution of modifiable risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia in men and women, which are suggested to contribute 40% of all dementia cases.
Investigating how changes in neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage affect cognitive decline, we found that changes in depressive symptoms, social networks (size of close social networks), and levels of physical activity substantially mediated these associations.
A healthy lifestyle may even partly offset the genetic risk of developing dementia, which is characterised by being physically active, eating a balanced diet, and drinking only moderate amounts of alcohol.
Workplace factors directly influence individuals’ stress, cognitive, and social stimulation levels over extended periods of time as well as associated (income) benefits, and these factors are highly relevant to contributing to the risk of dementia. In our study investigating psychosocial work characteristics, high perceived control at work was associated with more favourable cognitive trajectories. We must now ensure that this consolidated scientific knowledge is translated and communicated.
