At 78 years old, Anthony Fredericks, Ed.D.’s mind remains as sharp and productive as ever. This Professor Emeritus of Education at York College of Pennsylvania has never stopped for a minute: he has been a consultant to more than 100 schools in North America, and has had time throughout his career to write more than 175 books (putting him in the league of prolific writers such as Stephen King).
Dr. Anthony Fredericks has covered numerous topics in his publications, including American history and marine biology—he even has a Mother Goose book!—but today’s article will focus on everything this gentleman has to say about creativity. His mind has never stopped working, and it is precisely in this habit that lies the key to cognitive vitality that defies the passing of the decades.
Dr. Anthony Fredericks is in his “golden years,” but his mind is still at its peak. The best part is that he has had enough introspection to understand why his brain works the way it does… and he tells us the four key strategies he has followed throughout all these years to stay mentally active.
Keeping curiosity alive
Fredericks’ life is full of inquiries; if something catches his attention, he won’t let it go until he learns everything about it. That’s why his bibliography is full of books on job interviews, tsunamis, and ancient trees… all written around the same time. In a world where we are encouraged to hyper-specialize in a single area and anything outside of our work is dismissed as a distraction, it seems like an act of rebellion to read and learn indiscriminately about all kinds of topics.
According to Anthony Fredericks, the chemistry of our brain changes when we become curious. Just as a child is enthralled for the first time by, say, blowing on a dandelion and watching its seeds fly away, our brain is enthralled by new experiences if we open ourselves up to them and leave our comfort zone. This is one of the keys to neuroplasticity.
Our brain’s cognitive reserve
Anthony Fredericks is not alone in supporting this philosophy; although for a long time the scientific community believed that the brain stopped growing and stagnated when it reached adulthood, the latest studies on neuroplasticity cast doubt on this. The human brain is capable of reorganizing itself and forming new neural connections throughout our entire lives. If we were unable to create these new neural connections, we would be incapable of learning the layout of the neighborhood we just moved to, or learning the price of a cup of coffee at the new café that opened on the corner of our street.
Every time you learn something new, your brain builds a new neural pathway—or strengthens an existing one. If a pathway is used constantly, it becomes wider and faster (as if we were paving it); however, it can also deteriorate (and end up with potholes) if we abandon it and stop using it.
Anthony Fredericks’ strategies are aimed—precisely—at continuing to build neural pathways. He is actively combating the notion that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks—the trick is keeping up with daily training and innovating the routine. This is closely linked to cognitive reserve, which would be the “cushion” or mental “energy reserve.”
Anthony Fredericks revels in ignorance: while many pretend to know about a topic to try to keep up with a conversation, he distances himself from his ego and admits everything he doesn’t yet know. This helps him open his mind to seek more knowledge and grow as a person. This allows us to open ourselves up to new experiences, whether it’s visiting your local museum or traveling to the Grand Canyon, and revel in the wonder we experience when trying something new.