Key mental abilities can actually improve during aging

Cameron said:

Key mental abilities can actually improve during aging​

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Interesting article, thanks.

They missed a few of mine, like:

  • I can now wrap my own Christmas presents and still be surprised.
  • I am rarely wrong, can't remember the last time I was anyway.
  • It no longer matters much how I dress.
  • The annoying sounds that used to bother me, like birds and kids seem to have disappeared.
  • It no longer matters so much who is elected president or anything else that effects the long term future. Just leave my Medicare alone and I'm happy.
The list could probably go on, but I am forgetting what my point was...
 

I think they might have not taken into account that aging means retirement resulting in a lifestyle change as opposed to a working life. Retirees have less brain clutter as a result of the work environment so they can focus on what's at hand.
 
I know my math skills have deteriorated over the years. I had to take a statistics class about 10 years ago, and it wasn't easy for me. In my 30s, it would have been a piece of cake, but in my 50s, it was tough.

As far as alerting, orienting, and executive inhibition...
  • Alerting - I don't seem to process information like I used to. I can't take in a lot of information concurrently, which can be a bit unsettling when I'm driving. It also affects my decision making abilities when I don't have time to think about what I'm doing. That's one reason I like buying things online; it allows me to think about what I'm buying without distractions, and I can think about it for a while.
  • Orienting - I guess I can quickly shift my attention to something effectively, but I don't know if I can do that more so than when I was younger. I used to be able to take in the big picture more effectively when I was younger.
  • Executive inhibition - No way, dude. A good example is this evening when I was at the pharmacy section of the grocery store, looking for Tylenol for arthritis, and they had contemporary pop music blasting. I swear, I was so distracted by the "music" that I couldn't concentrate on what I was looking for. At one point, I even put my fingers in my ears to try to block it out. Of course, had they been playing classic rock, it wouldn't have been a problem. To me, contemporary music is like having a loud ringing in my ears.
So in my case, their study is total B.S. Maybe for others, it rings true.
 
Mr
Mr. Ed said:
If you don't use it, you lose it.
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Absolutely!
When i was having eye problems i could read articles that interested me online, because i could enlarge the print, and even highlight or bold it if on problematic background color. So i could still get my 'fix' of information. without straining as much. i knew from my psych classes in the early 90s that exercising the brain as important as the body, maybe more because staying engaged with the world encourages you take more care of your physical self too.
 
Irwin said:
I know my math skills have deteriorated over the years. I had to take a statistics class about 10 years ago, and it wasn't easy for me. In my 30s, it would have been a piece of cake, but in my 50s, it was tough.

As far as alerting, orienting, and executive inhibition...
  • Alerting - I don't seem to process information like I used to. I can't take in a lot of information concurrently, which can be a bit unsettling when I'm driving. It also affects my decision making abilities when I don't have time to think about what I'm doing. That's one reason I like buying things online; it allows me to think about what I'm buying without distractions, and I can think about it for a while.
  • Orienting - I guess I can quickly shift my attention to something effectively, but I don't know if I can do that more so than when I was younger. I used to be able to take in the big picture more effectively when I was younger.
  • Executive inhibition - No way, dude. A good example is this evening when I was at the pharmacy section of the grocery store, looking for Tylenol for arthritis, and they had contemporary pop music blasting. I swear, I was so distracted by the "music" that I couldn't concentrate on what I was looking for. At one point, I even put my fingers in my ears to try to block it out. Of course, had they been playing classic rock, it wouldn't have been a problem. To me, contemporary music is like having a loud ringing in my ears.
So in my case, their study is total B.S. Maybe for others, it rings true.
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To really evaluate any study you need a lot more info than people citing them online usually give. How the set up study, the sample size and other factors usually mean many people will relate and many will not. Especially now that we are learning how broadly brains can vary in their functioning.
i was a 'non-traditional' college student in early 90s, meaning i was older than the normal college age being turning 48 a couple of weeks after i got my BA in Psych in 1994.
i have a good 'Basic Math' mind, and it extends to highly applicable geometric and finance formulas to figure volume, how much of something to cover an area, or interest. But not an algebra mind, tho i could sometimes see the patterns well enough to know what answer should look like but couldn't do the intermediary steps to get there (frustrated the heck out of my Algebra Prof). Apparently people who do have 'algebra' or 'higher math' minds often have trouble with basic math, and always need calculators to even convert percentages to decimal places and vice versa. Me, i still, from years of being single Mom on tight budget, keep a running total of grocery purchases and have am only off when i've just moved somewhere with different things taxable than previous locale.
Statistics close enough and basic math dependent enough i did well in it. Missing an A by a fraction of point.
Younger classmates asked me for advice on studying etc because of how well i was doing in all my classes despite my family responsibilities at home (and working part time for some of those years as well). i already had an interest in neuroscience and the psych classes just fueled it more. But i always caution folks about asking the right questions before taking a study too seriously.
 
I'm firmly in the "if you don't use it, you lose it" corner. I've seen far too many of my old friends slide downhill, mentally, because they just sat around all day doing nothing but watching TV. Just as a person has to exercise the body, they must find someway to challenge their thought processes.

I always seem to have a list of things to do around the house and yard, and it seems like something always needs "fixing", That helps a bunch. Then, I adopted a habit of playing free online Poker, a few years ago. I usually spend at least an hour a day "competing" against a half dozen other players, trying to figure out the odds of who has the best hand, and that can be a real "brain teaser". Plus, when I go to the casino, this steady "practice" usually allows me to have some fun without going broke.
 
Funny you should mention the online Poker @Don M. I was just going to mention the Video Poker games I played. Even though the program was purchased, it became a subscription so I gave it up. My instant logic for it has disappeared.
 
win231 said:
My ability to forget has definitely improved.
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i was thinking about that stereotype of forgetful seniors this past week.
It has occurred to me that some things are better 'forgotten' or at least relegated to a storage room in basement of minds where they don't come to our attention frequently, reopening old wounds.
It has also occurred to me that you can tell a lot about someone's priorities by what sticks with them over decades.
 
Don M. said:
I'm firmly in the "if you don't use it, you lose it" corner. I've seen far too many of my old friends slide downhill, mentally, because they just sat around all day doing nothing but watching TV. Just as a person has to exercise the body, they must find someway to challenge their thought processes.

I always seem to have a list of things to do around the house and yard, and it seems like something always needs "fixing", That helps a bunch. Then, I adopted a habit of playing free online Poker, a few years ago. I usually spend at least an hour a day "competing" against a half dozen other players, trying to figure out the odds of who has the best hand, and that can be a real "brain teaser". Plus, when I go to the casino, this steady "practice" usually allows me to have some fun without going broke.
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Don't play poker but do play other video games that i know exercise my brain, and they are much more fun than most exercise for the body.

As for 'fixing things', since its just me and DD here--it all falls on us or infrequently a hired workman. Neither of us like to get up on roof so i hire a construction guy i know to clean our stove pipe every fall, and sometimes between January and April, if the wood has been especially sappy that year. But we do a lot ourselves. And DD has actually replaced doorknobs at the motel she manages. Her Grandad would be so proud.
 

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