Age, Wisdom, and Going with the Flow

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Written by J.J.

As I move into midlife and begin to see how my perception shifts I confront deeper questions and wonder how our world will change. What helps me to cope with those uncertainties and thoughts is the company of people older than I am. It's true, in my experience, that wisdom comes with age and I'm deeply influenced by my elders. The most valuable skill I'm learning is how to go with the flow.  It's a state of being that I absorb when I'm with my older friends. They help me to be mellow and less reactive to life. So it wasn't a big surprise this week when I discovered that science is now proving that wisdom comes with age.

As we age, science said in 2010, we're less impacted by dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates, among other things, emotions which results in more thoughtful reactions and less impulsive decision making. This year a study found that our older brains are better at allocating resources and less impacted by negative reinforcement. Most science is finding that our aging brains are still able to learn quite well though there are cognitive impacts as the brain ages. A primary defense against those impacts is social interaction. So I hope that my older friends are deriving as much benefit from socializing with me as I am in socializing with them.

Though science is just beginning to evidence the values of age, longevity has been a value to civilization for eons and is credited by some scientists for our species evolution. It wasn't until longevity began to increase that cultures learned to accumulate information, pass on learning and build social bonds giving our modern species the competitive edge to develop into the strong and inquisitive people we are today.

By 2035 1 in 5 people are projected to be over 65. Never before in human history will there have been so many older people. Time tells us that age can move cultures and species forward. I know how much the wisdom of my older friends has changed my personal life and moved me forward. Can you imagine a day when the wisdom of older generations moves our nation forward giving everyone a lesson in thoughtful decision making and going with the flow?