Is the mind improving as the body ages?

One of my good friends just turned 79. He’s a great guy with a philosophical tendency and as I was wishing him a wonderful end of a remarkable decade, he said that his mind still felt the same and since I’m either overoptimistic or slightly delusional, I concurred with him.

The reality might be a bit different as the general consensus is that changes in thinking are common as people get older.

Older adults typically have more difficulties at finding words and recalling names, not paying as much attention as they ought to, and younger folks often find them inept at multi-tasking. I strongly believe that these symptoms, when they exist, pale in comparison with all the knowledge and insight we’ve gained from a lifetime of experiences.

Further, if we really want to, we still can learn new things, create new memories and improve our vocabulary and our language skills.

Of course, naysayers will say that as we get older our brain shrinks, our neurons aren’t communicating as well as they used to, but I believe this vary vastly with individuals.

As far as I am concerned, I remain convinced that my mental functions have never been so good as of today, and frankly, I suspect this is due to the fact that I always was a “late bloomer” through my entire life, without, I guess, never being able to catch-up.

So on paper and in my humble opinion, I still have plenty of to grow mentally and wouldn’t be surprised if I had another three decade of progress to add to my quiver before I reach the “adult level!”