Drinking a glass of wine has long been known to help you fight heart disease and lower your cholesterol, but it turns out your nightly glass could also be keeping your mind sharp.

Dr. Gordon Shepherd, a neuroscientist with the Yale School of Medicine, says that drinking a glass of wine is comparable to giving your mind a workout. In fact, he says drinking wine engages your mind better than "any other human activity."

He says wine's brain-boosting effects come from the drink's complex flavors, which our minds unravel like a puzzle.

Dr. Shepherd says that the way things taste is an "illusion" created by our taste buds, our smell receptors and our brain.

When you taste something like wine, which features so many overlapping flavors, your brain is more engaged than if you were doing a math puzzle or listening to music.

He calls this process "neurogastronomy," and you can thank us later for introducing you to your new favorite exercise routine.

But there's a downside: apparently when it comes to exercising your mental muscles, less is more.

Taking too large a sip or drinking more than a few glasses could "saturate" your system, losing the benefits.

Still, research shows wine can also keep dementia and Alzheimer's at bay, so go ahead and pour yourself a glass (or two).

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