Transcripts

"Commentary"-Cognitive Fitness

SUSIE GHARIB: In tonight's commentary, a few thoughts on something called "cognitive fitness." Explaining what that is and why it matters is Tom Stewart, editor of "The Harvard Business Review."

TOM STEWART, EDITOR, HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW: The jowly, corpulent tycoon of yesteryear has become today's corporate athlete, actually, a corporate tri- athlete, able to run a company, swim with sharks and ride a business cycle. That takes talent and drive, but it also demands mental and physical fitness. Lugging a briefcase is nothing like loading 16 tons, but it takes stamina to stay sharp during long work days and despite long- distance travel. There's a lot of pseudo-science about cognitive fitness.

There's also, thankfully, an increasing amount of real science. Tony Schwartz, head of the consulting group, The Energy Project, emphasizes that it's important to manage your energy, not your time because energy is a renewable resource and time is finite. Work he has done at companies like Sony and Wachovia Bank shows that a few simple rituals -- taking breaks from your work, getting up and walking around, turning off your Blackberry during meetings - improves performance. Psychiatrists and neuroscientists are studying cognitive fitness, too. Richard Gilkey (ph) and Clint Kilts (ph) of Atlanta are two of them; another is John Medina, from Seattle. Their studies confirm the powerful positive effect cognitive fitness has. It can even delay the mental effects of aging. Where does it come from? Movement, puzzles, creative play, actively seeking out new experiences. It's not a whole lot more complicated than physical fitness. You've just got to do it. I'm Tom Stewart.