Society tells us that you can't teach an old dog new tricks-that it's harder for adults to learn new skills than it is for kids.

 

The following 2 strategies can help you increase basic cognitive abilities, like working memory, inhibition and attention.

 

- Venture outside your comfort zone

 

As adults, we tend to use similar skills day in and day out: We take jobs in fields we're already proficient in, drive the same routes to the same places, and fall into routines we're comfortable with. But all this familiarity limits the parts of the brain we're using on a regular basis, according to Rachel Wu, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California Riverside.

 

"If you're trying to learn a new skill and it's turning out to be really easy for you, that may be a sign it's too similar to what you're already familiar with," she says. "Switching to something more challenging, that's truly different than what you're used to, may have more cognitive benefits."

 

- Learn more than one thing at once

 

"Because our time is so valuable, we tend to zero in on one hobby or one skill we want to get better at," says Wu. But dividing that time and energy into three or four areas will "stretch your brain in all different directions," she says.

 

That doesn't mean you should start four new challenges all at once, though. "Maybe you started learning a new language in 2016, and this year you add singing lessons, and next year you try something else," she says. "You can add things gradually based on what you can handle."

 

Strive for a variety of activities, as well. "If you try new things in different domains - one related to physical activity, one related to music, and another one artistic, for example - you might be stretching your brain more effectively than if you were learning how to paint, sculpt, and draw."