Does a Full Schedule Make for a Sharper Mind?

Staying active and keeping your schedule full could help keep your mind sharp as you get older, according to new research.
     
HealthDay News reports a study of older adults found that those with heavy schedules tended to do better on tests of memory, information processing and reasoning.
     
The study doesn't prove that being busy makes people smarter, but Sara Festini, who led the study, says it's likely that being busy is good for your thinking abilities.

Other studies have found that learning new skills can also help older adults improve their mental abilities.

" [This study]  provides further motivation to seek out additional activities and to keep learning new skills throughout adulthood," said Festini, a researcher with the Center for Vital Longevity at the University of Texas at Dallas.