12/01/2025

The Principles of Learning Any Complex Skill

Music is a promising tool for improving cognition, promoting well-being

Getting older often involves a series of challenges, such as cognitive decline, social isolation and late-life depression. Memory decline, especially decline in episodic memory and working memory, is a significant characteristic of normal aging and can be an early sign of pathological aging. Various forms of exercise and activities that flex the brain are believed to help maintain memory function in older age.

One important type of cognitively stimulating activity is learning music (Xueyan, 2025). Music is a promising tool for improving cognition and promoting well-being. It’s never too late to start playing an instrument, and starting in old age may have major benefits.

Here are some general rules you can follow as you master a new skill, such as music (Ericsson and Pool, 2016).

Please select this link to read the complete article from Psychology Today.