精选外刊｜大脑越老越迟钝？真相出乎意料

** Why you really do get wiser and cleverer with age ** A new study published in the journal Scientific American has confirmed what older people have known for generations — far frombecoming slow, mushy thinkers as we age, our mature brains mean we have more to offer than at any earlier time in our lives.

“The brief about older people is that they’re all kind of the same; that they’re doddering, and that ageing is this steady downwards slope, “ says Laura Carstensen, founding director of the Stanford Centre on Longevity.

“That view is a great misunderstanding.”

So what are the reasons behind this?

The rise of the ‘emotional brain’

As we age, the risk-taking element of our brain starts to fade, and we are less controlled by the dictates of our hormones — and a more sophisticated mental acuity replaces this.

Feeling more emotionally stable

Those with experience are more sure of themselves and less swayed by the prevailing views of society.

“I don’t care so much about what people think of me, “ says Louise, 68.

“I am not stripped of all ambition, but my ambitions have definitely changed to be more specific to what I actually care about — rather than what might impress others.

I am less critical of others, vocally and internally.”

Having a greater sense of overall well-being

Mick, 72, finds a relief in no longer having to be on the treadmill of work and professional achievement.

“Eventually there’s a calmness, which brings with it a readiness to take a longer view, “ he says.

“Whatever daily travails my children and grandchildren face, I can see that in the long term they’ll be all right.

They are loved and have resources, so I feel reassured.

Perhaps that is what people mean when they talk about the wisdom of age.”