Getting Better with Age

I was reading the Washingtonian and found an interesting article which stated there are some definite benefits to growing old - besides the discounted movie tickets.

For example consider the life of George Dawson. As the son of an underprivileged farmer and descendant of African American slaves, George grew up during the 1900's never learning how to read.

At the age of 90, George was approached by a man going door to door touting a local adult literary initiative. Figuring it was about time he could spell his own name, George joined the program and was fully literate by the age of 98.

George proves that some old dogs were meant to learn new tricks. Recent scientific explorations support this adage.

In his new book "Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain," gerontology researcher Dr. Gene Cohen investigates ways in which the brain matures. And his findings may surprise you.

It's a Hard Knock Life

The stereotype of an old person is that of a forgetful, hard-of-hearing boob. And often in literature and movies, elders are depicted as evil witches, wicked step-parents, and mean baby-sitters. But like most stereotypes, these are outdated and inaccurate.

Cohen concludes that by challenging yourself as you age, you develop wisdom, self assurance and even creativity that you lacked as a youth.

Activities such as community-education courses, book and writing groups, arts programs, and challenging work—volunteer, paid, or part-time—boost development of the brain in the second half of life. One study of the connection between leisure activities and the risk of dementia and cognitive decline found that dancing, board games, playing a musical instrument, crossword puzzles, and reading had the greatest impact in reducing the risk of mental disability.

The Science of an Aging Brain

When you compare the MRI of a 30 year old brain with that of a 70 year old brain performing the same task, you find a surprising difference. Whereas the 30 year old brain utilizes primarily the left hemisphere, the 70 year old brain utilizes both hemispheres.

Because the right hemisphere of the brain is associated with intellectual curiosity and passion, this convergence suggests that the older you get, the better you are making new connections and achieving new insights.

Other research on the brains "amygdale" (which is the part of the brain that processes emotions) returns unforeseen results; In brain-imaging studies, young adults and older adults were exposed to positive and negative emotions to see how the amygdala lit up and how long it stayed lit. Positive emotions caused the amygdala to light up the same way and stay lit for the same amount of time in both groups. But with negative emotions—fear, rage, envy—the amygdala lit up less intensely and for a shorter interval in the older group.

Senior Moments

Cohen states "I think that after 50 there's a new senior moment—a creative moment. There's a liberation phase that begins to be very strong in the fifties. It's characterized by metaphorical inner voices saying, "If not now, when?" and "What can they do to me?" These are powerful feelings based on accumulated experience that give you the courage to try something new."

As you age, you collect a series of experiences that you store in what I like to call a "life arsenal." The decisions you make in old age are affected by this arsenal of rich wisdom and knowledge from your first-hand experiences. Therefore, older people are more agile with their thoughts and emotions, and are free to make decisions based on inner freedom, self-confidence, and liberation from social constraints.

And that's worth waiting for.

Holley Simmons reporting!