For the best brain health and to get the most enjoyment out of life, Professor Barbara J Sahakian and Dr Christelle Langley in the Department of Psychiatry recommend adopting these healthy habits:

Get a good night’s sleep. Everyone knows how awful we feel if we don’t get enough sleep. We spend nearly one third of our lives asleep, as it is critical for our brain health. Our studies have shown that in middle to older adults, getting consistent sleep for 7-8 hours is beneficial to brain health, cognition and wellbeing, as well as our physical health. During sleep our brain removes toxins and consolidates our memories. So, make sure you have the ideal conditions for you to get the best night’s sleep. Be in a relaxed state, and make sure you are comfortable in bed.

Nurture your social life. As humans we are social beings, so social connections are key to our wellbeing. In fact, we have a ‘social brain’ which includes specific regions that are specialised for social interactions - this develops early in life, when we’re between one and five years old. The ‘social brain’ is also important for our cognition, and mental health. In adolescents, our research shows that having about five friends is associated with better brain health, cognition, and wellbeing. In older adults, we found that social isolation impacts negatively on brain health and is associated with a 26% increased risk of dementia. It is important to keep socially connected, be it through work or volunteering.

Keep your mind active. Make sure you ‘use it’ so that you don’t ‘lose it’ through lifelong learning and challenging mental activities. Keeping our brains active throughout life promotes cognitive reserve and resilience, which can help during times of stress, but we’ve also shown it can improve outcomes in traumatic brain injury and neuropsychiatric conditions. So, keep your mind active. Our studies have found that cognitive games, developed at the University of Cambridge and available through PEAK ‘brain training’ apps are beneficial for cognition.

Sahakian and Langley’s new book, Brain Boost: Healthy Habits for a Happier Life, (Cambridge University Press) is available from 23 January 2025.

If you want to drink less alcohol in 2025, and maybe help your family and friends into the bargain, Professor Theresa Marteau, Director of the University of Cambridge’s Behaviour and Health Research Unit offers these tips:

Much of our behaviour is driven by cues or prompts in our immediate surroundings, often without our awareness. Here are three tips, based on research in my group, that could help you drink less by changing some of these cues.

Use a smaller glass. In the year 1700, wine glasses in England held a modest 65ml. Today, wine glasses hold about 450ml when filled to the brim (for research purposes only!). Has this glassware inflation increased how much we drink? Yes, in short. When wine is served with smaller (300ml) compared with larger (370ml) glasses, the volume of wine sold drops by about 7%. Why? People pour less wine into smaller glasses. The smaller the portion or serving size in front of us, the less we drink or eat, known as The Portion Size Effect. The same goes for beer. So bring out your smaller glassware for a less boozy, healthier and happier 2025.

Buy smaller bottles and cans. When we selected random households to receive their usual fortnightly wine purchases in 50cl bottles rather than the standard 75cl bottles, they drank about 5% less. Why? We tend to think and consume in units of one – “I’ll just have one slice of cake, one cup of coffee… one can of beer.” Knowing this, look for smaller bottles and cans when shopping.

Buy a wider assortment of non-alcoholic drinks. While you’re browsing the aisles, make sure to pick up some non-alcoholic alternatives. When we offered people an assortment of drinks to buy, those randomised to select from a range that comprised 75% non-alcoholic drinks (compared with 50% or 25%) bought less alcohol. Why? The more options we have of any kind – be it non-alcoholic drinks or healthy snacks – the more likely we are to find one that appeals to us. It’s important to keep the total number of options constant, for example, five types of drinks or snacks, but increase the proportion of these that are healthier – from one or two, to three or four.

Tips to boost mental health are not one-size-fits-all, as people respond to things in different ways. Dr Camilla Nord who leads the University’s Mental Health Neuroscience Lab, in the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and Department of Psychiatry, offers her advice.

Do things at the right time for you. Motivation is a central, but often neglected aspect of mental health. My lab recently discovered that our motivation is intrinsically linked with our mental health: the decision to expend physical effort is blunted in people with depression, as well as people with high levels of mental health symptoms like apathy and anhedonia.

But surprisingly this isn’t the only factor affecting motivation. Dopamine in the brain, a neurochemical key for motivation and mental health, varies according to our circadian rhythm. We found that ‘morning people’ showed blunted motivation if tested in the evening, while ‘evening’ people showed blunted motivation in the morning. So if you want to harness your motivation - a key aspect of everyone’s mental health - think about the time when you thrive most.

Do some exercise. What we feel emotionally is strongly influenced by our physical state. Our brain uses the same circuits to sense its physical and emotional states - that’s why many people know that ‘hangry’ feeling. My lab found that these common brain regions are also altered across mental health conditions. The consequences for mental health are vast.

Changes to our physical state, like inflammation - caused by many things including illness and injury - are known to affect our mental health. We have most recently discovered that diabetes disrupts motivation just like poor mental health, an effect which does not seem to be reversed by semaglutide (Ozempic) treatment.

This could explain why physical health treatments, like exercise, are so effective for mental health. Our physical health and mental health are closely intertwined, and the future of mental health treatment might lie partly in the body.

Don’t neglect pleasure. Mental health is not all about self-deprivation. People who experience more day-to-day instances of pleasure report better wellbeing. Conversely, people with depression experience fewer overall rewarding events in a day - but when they do, their mood tends to improve even more than someone without depression. Biologically, pleasurable experiences like laughing with friends, dancing, or eating your favourite meal exert effects on the brain and body that could plausibly help maintain mental health.

Nord’s book, The Balanced Brain: The Science of Mental Health (Allen Lane) is a Financial Times, Times, and Prospect Magazine ‘Book of the Year’.

The power of food - both good and bad - for health is well established, but the mixed messages about what we ought to eat and drink can be overwhelming. Professor Nita Forouhi shares tips based on her research at the University’s MRC Epidemiology Unit.

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables daily. The message to eat ‘5-a-day’ has been around for decades, but our national diet and nutrition survey data shows that only 33% of adults and 12% of children and adolescents meet this goal. Our research found that quantity and variety are important: the risk of type 2 diabetes is lowest in people eating 5-a-day, and around 12 different types over a week. We also found that people eating a Mediterranean-type diet (typically high in fruit and veg) have a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke.

Cut down on red meat, both processed and unprocessed. Even small reductions in habitual meat consumption could lead to meaningful reductions in type 2 diabetes risk. Our study - the world’s largest - found that habitual consumption of 50 grams of processed meat a day, equivalent to two slices of ham, is associated with a 15% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years. Eating 100 grams of unprocessed red meat a day, equivalent to a small steak, is associated with a 10% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

The World Cancer Research Fund recommends avoiding processed meats altogether, categorising them as carcinogenic. You could limit your meat intake by eating meat less often with meat-free days, having smaller servings, or swapping it for alternative protein-rich foods like fish, beans, lentils, dairy products and eggs.

Avoid sugary soft drinks. They’re ultra-processed, often contain additives, and have no nutritional value. Our research findings make a strong case against the consumption of any so-called ‘sugar sweetened beverages’, which can cause us to over-consume calories.

We found that the habitual daily consumption of a standard can of sugary drink is related with a 22% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In other work, we found that consuming sugar in fizzy drinks, or added to tea, coffee and cereals is worse for your body than sugars in solid foods like fruits, vegetables or baked goods. Healthy swaps can include water, milk or milk alternatives, fruit teas, or tea or coffee without sugar.