Good news – brain power can improve as we get older

The Sunday Times reported this weekend that scientists have discovered that the human brain can improve with advancing years.

While short term memory may decline as we age, long term memory, vocabulary, emotional intelligence and social skills may all get better – which doesn’t seem a bad pay off.

The researchers found that older people are more likely to be rational than young people because their brains are less susceptible to surges of the “feelgood” hormone dopamine that can lead to impulsive reactions. Older people are able to retain a range of skills effectively. Expert knowledge such as that needed for hobbies  is stored in brain cells called dendritic spikes which seem to be protected against ageing. Also despite slower brain speeds, older people solve problems more efficiently than the young, drawing on cognitive templates of how they resolved similar problems in the past. Not sure how much of this is new, really.

However, the findings are supported by the fact that many of the most influential people in business, law and science are in their 50s and 60s, prompting the demand for the retirement age to be lifted in some professions. Judges, for instance, are pressing for a change in the law to allow senior members to remain in post beyond the age of 70.

So how do we go about boosting brain power? Mental and physical exercise, apparently. Eric Jones, 73 from North Wales goes skydiving at least 10 times a year. He credits his active lifestyle with keeping his mind sharp and is quoted as saying ” Extreme sports have helped keep me young in the mind. There’s an edge to sporting activities – you have to be totally focused. My ability to think on my feet and my long term memory have certainly improved with age”.

Think I might just stick with crosswords…