How traveling can boost your brain power.

BUSINESS TRAVEL CAN BE FRUSTRATING, INFURIATING, even dangerous. Nevertheless, you do it because you know that there is no satisfactory substitute for face-to-face meetings with potential clients; because it is not possible for you to otherwise audit the progress of a distant project; or because your work, like mine, requires that you be where your clients request.

In short, the advantages of business travel outweigh the drawbacks. There may be another benefit to travel as well: increasing your “cognitive reserve.” The term “cognitive reserve” is used by researchers who study mental abilities, in particular to describe our capacity to compensate for changes that may occur in our brains over time and are associated with the onset of age-related dementia.

As you rush through an airport to catch a flight or plead with a rental car agent to try harder to find the car you want in his inventory, or search for an available hotel room in a “sold out” city, preventing dementia doesn’t seem like a pressing problem. But someday—sooner than you want to believe—it may. With the right genes, some smart lifestyle choices and a little luck, you will eventually join the more than 5,000 Americans who, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, celebrate their 65th birthday each day. And if you’ve stocked up your cognitive reserve, you may have a better chance of knowing when you get there.

Now let’s be clear about this: The evidence linking the prevention of dementia to physical and/or mental activity is, at best, very, very sketchy. Indeed, the researchers in the area of age-related dementia whom I contacted in preparing this column were forthcoming about the progress of their research, but also hesitated to make a cause-and-effect connection.


So, how can travel help you add to your cognitive reserve? Well, travel per se can’t. But when approached in the right frame of mind, travel does present many opportunities to exercise both your mind and body and maybe, just maybe, forestall or slow their decline. While waiting for judgment from the scientific community, here are some steps you can take to use your time on the road to your benefit.

Be active. Take every opportunity to engage in some physical activity. For instance, take the stairs instead of the escalator. Carry your bag instead of rolling it. Walk to nearby appointments instead of taking a taxi. Do what you can to get in a few extra steps every day while you are away from home.

Confront problems. With the vast potential for human error, mechanical malfunction and foul weather, snafus are the rule of travel, rather than the exception. When problems do occur, face them objectively. Make trade-offs and seek compromises. Look for workable solutions that will get you closer to where you want to go and what you need.

Cool your jets. Don’t get caught up in an emotional tizzy that will do nothing more than leave you frazzled and exhausted. Keep in mind that the idea here is to confront problems, not people. Locking horns with employees will generally lead to more, not less, stress and will not do your mental or physical health any  favors.

Learn your lesson. Now the best part: The next time you run up against a problem similar to one you have worked to resolve in the past, you will have a tool at your disposal to resolve your current situation—hopefully with positive results.

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terry riley is a psychologist (appliedpsychology.com) and internationally recognized authority on understanding, managing and influencing business travel behavior. His is also the author of Travel Can be Murder, C.H.A.R.M. School and The Complete Travel Diet. Email Terry at editor@executivetravelmag.com.