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A 2019 study of nearly 200,000 adults found that those who had a healthier lifestyle were less likely to develop dementia over the course of eight years, even if they were genetically at risk for dementia, and a 2020 study came to a similar conclusion.

Beyond general healthy habits, though, specific activities have been shown to boost brainpower and prevent cognitive decline: brain exercises.

Simply put, brain exercises are activities that engage your brain. They include everything from computer-based puzzle games and reading to playing sports and talking to people. 

The key with brain exercises is that to really be effective, they have to require you to actively participate in them. Things that are more passive, such as watching TV, give you some visual stimulation, but there's no back-and-forth engagement,  “That's probably less a benefit to your brain than activities that you're more involved in.”