At the Penn Memory Center, one of the most common questions we hear is: What can I do to keep my brain healthy as I age?

We often reference diet and exercise as essential tools when it comes to maintaining a healthy brain. There’s another, often-overlooked way to boost brain health, fight depression, and support cognitive resilience. It’s not a pill. It’s not a trend. It’s something far more human: our hands.

On this episode of the Age of Aging, we explore the power of our hands and why using them intentionally can be an incredible medicine for the mind.

We begin with Dr. Kelly Lambert, a behavioral neuroscientist at the University of Richmond. She explains the link between our hands, human evolution, and depression. Then, Drs. Vasiliki Meletaki and Gyulten Hyusein from the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics discuss the benefits of hand movement as we age. Finally, artist Judith Schaechter shares her creative process in crafting stained glass pieces and how working with her hands has shaped her memory, mood, and creativity.

Resources

• This week’s Beautiful Question: What is something you would like to learn? Leave us a message at (571) 449-6474.

• Read the New York Times article featuring Dr. Lambert

• Watch Dr. Lambert’s TED Talk

• Learn more about Dr. Lambert’s lab

• Learn more about the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics

• Explore more of Dr. Meletaki and Dr. Hyusein’s research

• Video displaying Judith Schaechter’s biophilic dome

• Visit Judith’s website

• Read Judith’s blog about her work

Special thanks to Kelly Lambert, PhD, Vasiliki Meletaki, PhD, Gyulten Hyusein, PhD, and Judith Schaechter for being a part of this episode.

The Age of Aging is a Penn Memory Center production hosted by Editorial Director Terrence Casey and Producer Jake Johnson, in partnership with the Penn FTD Center, the Penn Institute on Aging, and UPenn’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Contributors include Nicolette Calcavecchia, Dalia Elsaid, Marie Ingegneri, Jason Karlawish, Emily Largent, Meg McCarthy, and Meaghan Sharp.