#23: Daily Habits to Keep Your Brain Sharp as You Age | Dr. Tommy Wood

Cognitive decline as you age is not inevitable — but whether you keep your edge depends almost entirely on what you do right now. Host Michael Easter sits down with Dr. Tommy Wood, a neuroscientist and performance consultant who works with Formula 1 teams. His book, The Stimulated Mind, changed how Michael thinks about staying mentally sharp.

They get into why sleep may be the most important factor in preventing cognitive decline, why retirement may be the most dangerous thing you can do to your brain, and the science behind "super agers" who keep their 50s brains into their 80s. Then they confront the question of A.I.: is it quietly making us dumber? They also cover the surprising exercise that beats the gym for your mind: dancing. And finally, they explain why you should be willing to suck when trying new things.

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today’s episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. This episode was edited by Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

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Chapters:

00:00 — Cold open

00:45 — Why Michael had to read this book

02:06 — Lab science vs. the real world

04:05 — What F1 driving teaches about performance

06:50 — The one thing: you get stronger when you sleep

09:34 — The traffic-light system for busy seasons

12:48 — Cognitive decline isn't inevitable

13:14 — Super agers & the Seattle Longitudinal Study

16:26 — Michael's mom & the retirement trap

17:36 — Why retirement is the worst idea for your brain

20:52 — Information overload & the brain

21:33 — The Google effect

24:50 — AI: cognitive orthotic or prosthetic?

27:36 — How AI dropped one class's average from 80 to 60

30:43 — Why writing it down beats voice memos

31:50 — Dancing: the best exercise for your brain

34:41 — The activities your brain is wired for

36:08 — Nutrition, supplements & brain health

38:44 — B vitamins + omega-3: what actually works

41:20 — How much should you eat?

42:33 — The off-road Ironman & not quitting

45:42 — Neuroplasticity, explained

46:39 — Your brain is a prediction machine

48:47 — Be willing to suck

49:32 — Wrap

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