Good news for your golden years.
Our physical strength, skin elasticity and fertility may all peak when we’re young — but new research has determined that the best years for our brains are actually much later in life.
Published in the journal Intelligence, this study focused on measurable, enduring psychological traits that have a direct bearing on real-world performance.
“For many of us, overall psychological functioning actually peaks between ages 55 and 60,” study author Gilles E. Gignac, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Western Australia, wrote in The Conversation.
The team also honed in on five key personality traits: extraversion, emotional stability, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness.
They found that many of these traits reached their max in later life, with conscientiousness peaking around age 65 and emotional stability at 75.
They determined that moral reasoning and the capacity to resist cognitive biases — mental shortcuts that skew our perception and can negatively affect decision making — may improve as we age into our 70s and 80s.
“Our findings may help explain why many of the most demanding leadership roles in business, politics, and public life are often held by people in their fifties and early sixties,” said Gignac.
He noted that while particular abilities decline with age, that decrease is balanced by growth in other areas.
Many of these growth areas, like improved judgment and decision-making, are critical for those in leadership roles.
However, despite the positive associations between aging and psychological strength, older folks often face challenges reentering or remaining in the workforce.
Although the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects people 40 and older from prejudice in hiring, firing, promotion, compensation, benefits, job assignments, training, layoffs and harassment, in reality, it’s still occurring.
According to an Ageism in the Workplace Survey conducted in May by résumé building site Resume Now, 90% of workers aged 40 or older have experienced ageism at work, and approximately half of respondents said their employer primarily hires younger workers.
Some employers view a candidate in their mid-fifties as a long-term poor investment. Other jobs that demand high levels of memory and attention, such as pilots and air traffic controllers, have a mandatory retirement age of 65 or younger.
However, Gignac maintains that individual experiences vary widely and cognitive functioning is not determined by age alone. He believes evaluations and assessments, rather than age-based assumptions, should dictate job eligibility.
He is also hopeful that the findings in this latest study will illustrate the need for age-inclusive hiring and retention practices.
“History is full of people who reached their greatest breakthroughs well past what society often labels as “peak age”. Perhaps it’s time we stopped treating midlife as a countdown and started recognizing it as a peak.”
To protect your brain from a fall from these great heights, experts say the Mediterranean diet — which relies on greens, fruits, nuts, and fish — can help keep the brain healthy even as it ages. Further, physical activity, consistent quality sleep, and learning new skills can all conspire to keep the mind sharp well into old age.
