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Is programming feasible for those without methodical minds?

Would programming/coding be a good way to prevent onset of Alzheimer's and/or Dementia?

  • I've heard of and met elderly who do crossword puzzles and soduku to keep their minds sharp (and possibly ward off aging related conditions/diseases).  Would programming have a similar effect?

  • Answer:

    Probably not! I've read about prolific writers who have succumbed to Alzheimers. I've known people who know 4 languages get Alzheimer's. And all the research I've read only anecdotally support puzzles etc to have any kind of effect on the onset of AD. Yes there are a few results that say that puzzles, reading etc had some positive effect but nothing thats conclusive. The only real correlation I've found is people who were professionals - ie doctors, engineers, lawyers etc. And the only pseudoscience conclusion I could draw from that was because of the extreme stress that these occupations are associated with. Decrease your stress and hope for the best :). Coding in most environments means having to deal with a lot of stress. Infact in most product oriented companies you'll find that the programmer is at the bottom of the totem pole and so all the pressure usually finds its way to him. A very common scenario: Your release deadline is 2 weeks away. Your sales/product guy suddenly realises that no one will use your product in its present form. He runs around to a bunch of customers and pitches more features. He then goes to his boss and tells him that based on his interviews with customers these new features are "must-haves". The sales manager calls the development manager and says "these features must be done before launch". Guess who gets to sit and code these new features on the weekend? Also when you code, you have to sit for hours at a time, so this increases the negative consequences on your body. India has a very small incidence (%age wise) of AD when compared to the US and the rest of the world. So do other aisan countries.  I've known entire villages where only some of the most "successful" had AD. Ie the ones who went to colleges and became doctors and engineers. So my very serious advice is to take it easy.

Vivek Ponnaiyan at Quora Visit the source

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Probably. I read some research recently showing that people who speak more than one language have about a 68% (roughly?? I'm going off memory...) less greater chance of getting alzheimer's and/or dementia. I think continuing to stimulate your brain and learn new things is absolutely critical. See some of the research in Carol Dueck's book, 'Mindset.' Particularly that on what she calls, 'Growth Mindset.' As suggests though, there are other factors at play. However, there is hope, despite popular opinion, you can learn to deal with stress better. We know that 80% of the health care costs in the U.S. are often attributable to 5 behaviors: Too much stress Overeating (particularly low quality foods) Drinking too much Smoking Too little exercise Possibly the sixth is too little sleep. Provided that those 5 or 6 behaviors are in order, I believe that stimulating the brain can provide some additional protection against illnesses of the brain.

Darren Beattie

A simple game can help your brain relax but complicated brain activities that requires you to think hard might not help at all. You might get pressured, you might get stressed and stress is the last thing you want. Keep away from stressful environment and you might delay the disease but you can't keep it from coming. Just my thoughts.

Cliff Hazel Santos

My gut says yes, but probably moreso if practised as continual learning (which is not how most of the industry works). It is known that bilingualism is effective against Alzheimer's (which might be what motivated your question?) This is easily done, as many computer science and programming texts have exercises. How many people do you know who do the exercises in textbooks?

Toby Thain

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