Prof. Tarhan: "Being open to learning new things and seeking innovation is the brain's biggest friend"

Noting that a person who has reached a certain age achieves healthy aging if that person takes great pleasure in teaching something to a few people and being useful to a few people, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "As we age, some of our body abilities decrease. Memory weakens a little, agility and entrepreneurship decrease, but wisdom and dignity become apparent."

President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan evaluated the psychology of old age.

Tarhan: "There are three types of aging chronologically, biologically and psychologically"

Stating that there are three types of aging chronologically, biologically and psychologically, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "Chronological aging is related to birth certificate, biological aging is related to life and body, and psychological aging is the mental aging of the person. In other words, we can say that it is the age you feel spiritually."

Noting that the person ages psychologically prematurely when one does not make a quality and safe aging, Prof. Tarhan stated that "If our body is like the state, our brain is like the government. When our brains do not work well, all the institutions of the state do not work, and when this is the case here, all organs begin to deteriorate. In fact, the software in the person's brain is disrupted."

Why is it disrupted?

Stating that this is related to the person's philosophy of life, his view of life and aging, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "If a person has made their mental and emotional investment and narcissistic investment in his body, if a pimple appears on their body, it will immediately become a disaster. If one did this investment to money, a small loss would feel catastrophic. If one did their investment to fame, then when a person experiences something related to it, they immediately become catastrophic and begins to collapse rapidly. One becomes depressed, and psychological aging begins quickly. Therefore, one’s philosophy of life is very important. For a person to have a healthy old age and a safe old age, the foundations of safe old age are laid in childhood. We prefer to call it the psychology of aging, not the psychology of aging. Because as soon as a child is born, human beings begin to age. With birth, the stopwatch works, one gets old."

Tarhan: "More than 50 percent of brain development occurs between the ages of 0-3"

Noting that the human baby is born psychologically prematurely, unlike other living things, Prof. Tarhan stated that "Human beings can walk at the age of one. At the age of fifteen, a person is able to distinguish between good and evil. All of this is learning in the meantime. In fact, the number of cells in the brain, the networks in the cells in the brain, more than 50 percent of brain development occurs between the ages of 0-3. Between the ages of 0-3 is so important. For the child to feel safe, to explore life, to walk, to sit, to get up, everything... It is experiencing a serious explosion of cells in the brain. There is also adolescence.”.

How to be a happy and productive senior?

Stating that new developments in science show that there is a causal link between the aging of the human brain and mental aging, Prof. Tarhan said that "If a person attaches the right meaning to life, has a realistic approach to death, and has a healthy philosophy of life, they can be a happy and productive senior who is at peace with themselves until the last breath of their life. Thus, a correct personality attitude is required."

The secret to living a long life...

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan expressed that "Let me tell you an example, both of them are deceased, one is Celal Bayar and the other is Ayhan Songar. Our professor Ayhan Songar is our professor from Cerrahpaşa, and it is a story told by him. Celal Bayar goes to visit him when he is 100 years old. When he goes to visit, Celal Bayar asks for a book. When he goes back a few months later, he says, 'I am waiting for the book, what happened?' I am talking about nineties. There is no Internet and so on. When he could not answer, he said, 'You thought I forgot, didn't you? He asked for the book because I was old, but he forgot about it, you thought I wouldn't ask.' He tells an anecdote that ‘He has such a philosophy life… When guests come, he welcomes them in a suit. He never wore pajamas on that occasion."

What ages the brain is laziness of thought...

Emphasizing that he was not isolated from life, Prof. Tarhan continued his remarks as follows:

"Yes, he is reading. He is reading books at that age. What ages the brain is laziness of thought. In other words, if there is laziness of thought, if the person does not have a purpose, if the person does not have a purpose such as being useful to people...

If a person who has reached a certain age takes great pleasure in teaching something to a few people and being useful to a few people, it means that he has succeeded in healthy aging. As we age, some of our body faculties decrease. Memory weakens a little, agility and entrepreneurship decrease, but wisdom and dignity become apparent. In other words, logical, correct thinking, correct decision-making, reasoning power is increasing. One is looking for knowledge, experience. These people are more consistent, tolerant and patient."

Great work is done with mental powers rather than physical strength

Explaining that those who achieve great things are those who attach importance to mental power instead of physical strength, Prof. Tarhan said that "Great works are done with mental powers rather than physical strength. The sharpness of the mind is sharper than the sharpness of the sword, and there are wise men and old sages. This healthy psychological aging is very closely related to being wise elders."

Pointing out the importance of being at peace with yourself and not living in the past, Prof. Tarhan stated that "They cannot be happy old. Such people also make their relatives unhappy. And then there are the elderly, who are afraid of innovation. They are attached to the old in the form of passion. You know, in the so-called neophobia, the fear of novelty becomes a disease in them. The biggest psychosocial problem of the elderly is loneliness, feeling lonely."

The elderly, around whom there are young people who want to learn from them, are very happy...

Stating that the elderly, who are surrounded by young people who want to learn something from them, have a very happy old age and keep their brains fit and alive, Prof. Tarhan said that "If you pay attention, such grandfathers and grandchildren get along well. Mom and dad cannot take care of their child, they are busy, but grandparents, grandparents have more time. Children also always need to ask. Someone's need to learn, someone's need to tell and teach complement each other."

Tarhan: "There is such a psychological feeling that people want to live more when they get older"

Stating that excessive fondness for health has increased in some elderly people, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "The fire of living is such a thing that, contrary to expectations, people are born, live and die. You say it is a very natural process, but there is such a psychological feeling that people want to live more when they get older."

Noting that there is a desire for immortality as a person gets older, and that this is genetically encoded in humans, Prof. Tarhan explained that an elderly person, the physical health of the elderly, old age psychiatry and old age medicine are also different, and that it may be necessary to get opinions from geriatricians to age healthily.

Stating that some of them increase their ambitions as they get older and that they are passionate about property and fame as they get older, you can say ‘He is lying at death's door, why does this man still think what this man thinks, but in fact, his flame of life and his fever increase more."

Tarhan: "Our brain is like a machine"

Pointing out the meaning attributed to old age, Prof. Tarhan stated that "Our brain is like a machine. If we use our brain well, we can remain a person who sees our own needs, produces and is useful to people until the last day of our lives in our old age."

Tarhan: "The brain has plastic organ neuroplasticity"

Explaining that a mathematics professor went to a neurologist saying, 'I used to see eight moves ahead while playing chess, now I can only see five moves ahead, I have a memory problem', and that the neurologist did not even have an MRI because his memory power was at the average of his age group, Prof. Tarhan noted that in the autopsy performed because that person had an accident, it was seen that the Alzheimer's plaque was full in his brain, but since he was a mathematics professor, he kept his mind alive all the time.

Prof. Tarhan said that "This person is constantly researching, questioning, thinking, interpreting, learning new things, that is, he is interested in the philosophy of science, and the brain has created new paths, while one side is blocked, it has created bypass paths. That is, our brain is a plastic organ for which the scientist who proved the theory of neuroplasticity received the Nobel. The brain has plastic organ neuroplasticity.”

What is good for the heart in nutrition is also good for the brain

Stating that there is a small part of the brain called the hippocampus where memory cells are located and that it works when new things are learned, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "When a person with neuroplasticity, a person with a plastic brain, learns something new, growth hormone is secreted in that part of the brain. It can happen at any age, even at an advanced age. That hormone produces new cells, that cell migrates and forms pathways in the brain, even at an advanced age, the brain produces new cells. Since our brain is a plastic organ, it is like a well, it opens as you use it, if you do not use it, it atrophies, new pathways are formed, a network is formed. Of course, this is important in brain health, but the saying a ‘rolling stone gathers no moss’ is also valid for the brain. Nutrition is also very important. What is good for the heart is also good for the brain. What is good for the heart and vessels is also good for the brain. Therefore, we can say that not being overweight, if there is diabetes or cardiovascular disease, living in accordance with it all have a positive has an effect here."

When the brain is challenged, it opens up new pathways and stays young

Noting that the brain opens new pathways when it is forced, Prof. Tarhan stated that "In other words, mental objection and mental rebellion create a new network in the person's brain, new neural circuits are formed, and the brain remains young. That is why this is true not only for young people but also for all ages. For this reason, being open to learning new things and seeking novelty behavior is the brain's biggest friend. Therefore, but socialization provides this as well. When one is alone, the brain is left without stimuli, so social contact, social relationships, talking or telling or writing or reading something rather than listening, all of these create new ways in the brain.

Six faithful keepers of memory 5w1h...

Explaining that there are six networks in the brain, which is defined as the six faithful guardians of memory, and that these are "who said it, what, where, when, how, why", Prof. Tarhan said, "5w1h... Six of them are in a separate network brain. When we write information in our brain as 'who', you only remember it from whom, but what one said, when one said it, how one said it, why one said it, with all these, if you record a piece of information in the brain, if you cannot remember it from one network, you will remember it from the other. We can say that this is the six faithful guardians of the brain, the great memory, and the greatest remedy for brain aging."

If a person thinks that we are guests in the world, one does not have any fear of the afterlife

Emphasizing that it is necessary to interpret death correctly, Prof. Tarhan said that "The fear of death is also related to a person's philosophy of life. If a person thinks of death as a transition from one room to another, like Mevlana, like Şeb-i Aruz, as if we are guests in the world, one does not have any fear about the afterlife. Because if everything ends after death, everything becomes so meaningless. That is why quantum science right now says, 'Nothing is disappearing in the universe.' Consciousness studies currently show that the universe's perception of reality is different. This is another issue. We can say that why should a person who lives an accountable life be afraid of death."

 

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)