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Whoever coined the phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” clearly didn’t have access to the latest research. It’s a common misconception that mental decline and age go hand-in-hand. The truth is, an elderly brain doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll find it harder to learn new things. Some research suggests that your brain might actually become increasingly capable as you age.
Of course, many factors influence this – your cell health being a major one. In non-human studies, scientists have discovered there’s a strong connection between aging, declining synapse function (a nervous system structure that transmits electrical signals between brain cells) and the health of your neurons. Such studies have also found that animals that have a large number of totipotent stem cells (self-renewing cells) may be able to renew themselves - meaning they’ve, essentially, “discovered the foundation of youth.”
Of course, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the cellular aging process in humans – it's a subject that researchers continue to investigate. But, in recent years, human studies have provided us with some initial insights into whether younger people learn easier, at what age our brains are the sharpest, whether MitoQ might be able to support brain health and, of course, whether or not it is, in fact, more difficult to learn new things as we age.
Your brain goes through many changes throughout your life – meaning that young people and old people do react differently to new things, in some instances. According to Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, over one million brand new neural connections are formed per second within the first few years of your life. While your neurons can form new connections throughout your life, it’s at a much slower speed than in those first few years. These connections help to form your brain and also build the foundations for your future brain development. But these connections aren’t the only things that influence how you learn throughout your life: genetics, experiences, your emotional wellbeing and social life all influence how you learn. The more you use a specific circuit in your brain, the stronger it will become. Essentially, learning is largely influenced by how your brain is trained from a young age.
Some researchers argue that young people do find it easier to learn than adults simply because the world is newer to them, giving them more motivation to ask questions and explore. But the American Psychological Association (APA) has indicated that simple math abilities, abstract reasoning, verbal abilities and spatial reasoning all improve during middle age. According to APA, middle-age is also when you’re most likely to make better financial decisions and be drawn to positive information over negative information. You may even experience improved cognitive abilities during this time.
An expanding amount of research points to ages 40-50+ as being the peak time in brain development (although there is a small percentage of octogenarians who are being studied for their abilities to remain mentally sharp well into their 80s and 90s). APA has published a collection of the following findings on brain performance during middle-age:
The key driver in this thinking is that, yes, often our memories and attention spans decline with age – making it difficult for us to learn new things. The National Institute of Aging (NIH) notes that memory (particularly of names), multitasking and attention span can all decline with age. However, they also stress that aging can also bring positive changes such as a wider vocabulary, a greater depth of knowledge and experience along with the continued ability to learn new skills and form new memories. Some people are also an exception to the norms of mental aging - NIH refers to them as “cognitive super agers”, aka, people who “remain cognitively sharp into their 80s, 90s and beyond” - presenting memory test results comparable to people who are up to 30 years younger. Research has shown these “super agers” have a few key things in common:
Another APA interviewee, cognitive neuroscientist Patricia Reuter-Lorenz states, “Instead of a crisis, middle age should be thought of as a time for a new form of self-investment. This time of life brings so many new opportunities to invest in your own cognitive and physical resources, so you can buffer against the effects of older age”. In terms of what you can do to maintain your mental sharpness during middle age, APA reports that those who are physically, cognitively and socially active are more likely to be mentally sharper in middle age – so it pays to start incorporating related activities into your lifestyle now. To keep your mind sharp, Harvard Health recommends prioritizing:
