Becoming an Expert Birder Can Reshape Your Brain and Might Help Protect It From Aging, New Research Suggests

Compared to novices, seasoned birders had denser, more structurally complex brain regions involved with tasks like object identification, visual processing, attention and working memory

Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent



Becoming an expert birder might support brain health, according to a new study. Pexels

Bird-watching is a popular pastime enjoyed by more than a third of American adults. Many people love the hobby because it helps them connect with nature, sharpen their observation skills and connect with others.

This peaceful activity may come with yet another benefit: supporting brain health. According to a paper published in the March 25 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, birding might reshape the brain and could help protect it from some of the effects of aging.

Learning a new skill can cause the brain to reorganize itself as it forms new pathways and strengthens existing ones. Scientists have studied this phenomenon, known as neuroplasticity, in the brains of highly skilled experts who have devoted time and energy to mastering their craft, such as musicians and athletes.

“Our brains are very malleable,” says lead author Erik Wing, a neuroscientist at York University in Canada who conducted the research while at the country’s Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, to NBC News’ Lindsey Leake.

Wing and his colleagues wondered whether birding expertise might also cause changes in the brain. Becoming an expert birder requires a wide range of cognitive processes and skills, such as “fine-grain identification, visual search and attention to the immediate environment and sensitivity to motion, pattern detection, building these elaborate conceptual networks of different related species,” Wing tells NBC News. “Also, you have to remember what you’re seeing and compare it to these internal templates.”

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/becoming-an-expert-birder-can-reshape-your-brain-and-might-help-protect-it-from-aging-new-research-suggests-180988489/



Erik Wing, Ph.D.

https://www.gilboalab.ca/people.html