Facebook pixel
Go to home page

Connect New Ideas to the Past

Person standing in the road looking at the stars and using technology.

How does a new idea relate to older knowledge?

Weave new concepts into your past experiences. Challenge yourself to connect new ideas with the familiar – hopefully yielding good questions, observations and learning moments.

SCIENCE SAYS:

Integrating new ideas with older ones is a powerful way to strengthen the brain's frontal networks. Applying knowledge from the past to newly learned information helps to enhance cognitive flexibility and inform behavior in future situations. 

WAYS TO BEGIN:

  • Try a new route home from someplace in your neighborhood.
  • Explore a new source of information on a longstanding hobby or interest.
  • Learn a new game and reflect on strategies that overlap with games you already know.
  • Consider how prior knowledge can bring new meaning to recent events and interactions.

Share this article


TRY ANOTHER KNOW BRAINER: What can you discover in nature today?

BrainHealth Index

The BrainHealth Index is a holistic measure of brain health performance, capturing the immense complexity of human brain performance as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2022).