New research links later-life education to
improved intelligence and mental health. Image via US Army Africa
In 1905, Sir William Osler, the most highly regarded physician of his time and the ‘father of modern medicine’, declared that all of the best work of the world is done between the ages of 25 and 40 and that over the age of 40, men are rendered ‘useless’, with no real further benefit to society.
And, well, if a leading doctor says it then it must be true, right?
At least, that was the general consensus and for the next century or so most people accepted his beliefs as fact. Leading neurologists were convinced that our brain cells gradually die off throughout our lifetimes, without being replaced, and psychologists proclaimed that the ability to learn new things decreased as we aged.
Then something strange started to happen. Medicines continued to improve, people began to live for longer and longer, and suddenly doctors started noticing a flood of people well past retirement age who were mentally just as capable as their twenty year old counterparts.
If what Sir William Osler has said was true, then how was this possible?
Recently, researchers have discovered something amazing – that learning quite literally keeps the brain active, prolonging memory, health and, yes, even life. [1]
Think of your brain as a muscle that needs regular exercise. Don’t use it, and it will slowly waste away, but even if it has been neglected for some time once you start to use it again it will gradually recover and become strong.
Join a class or take up a new hobby to keep your brain active and to meet new friends too! Image via Blackpit Shooting
So it’s no excuse to say it’s too late in life to go back to education, or to learn a new skill. Research has proven that taking a college degree after middle age slows the brain’s ageing process down by as much as a decade.
When I studied my degree in my early twenties, I was sitting alongside students in their fifties, and one woman on a different course was even into her seventies, so perhaps now that the children have flown the nest and you have more free time on your hands it’s time to do that Art History degree you always dreamed of in your teens!
It’s not just intelligence that education in later life can help with – dementia is a serious illness that affects many older people, but new research has shown that education has the amazing ability of delaying the onset of dementia, even if you have a genetic predisposition. [2] [3]
Learning also has other non-medical but equally-important benefits. Giving the older generation the chance to learn new skills and to develop new hobbies is giving them the chance to keep on enjoying life, reducing the risk of depression.
Plus, by running classes or groups for senior citizens, retirement homes and town halls give them a chance to expand their social network – it’s never too late to make new friends, after all!
Perhaps if Sir William Osler was here now he’d be horrified to find that our retirement age is well past sixty – more likely however, he’d be enjoying a spot of painting with the other retirees at his local adult learning centre!
Author Bio:
Estelle Page writes for Optegra, eyecare specialists who offer cataract surgery to help improve your vision, so you can enjoy those activities you used to love again such as reading and painting!
References:
[1] A Sharper Mind, Middle Age and Beyond (2012) Patricia Cohen
[2] Low education is a genuine risk factor for accelerated memory decline and dementia. (1997) Ben Schmand, Jan Smit, Jaap Lindeboom, Carolien Smits, Chris Hooijer, Cees Jonker and Betto Deelman.
[3] Frequent Cognitive Activity Compensates for Education Differences in Episodic Memory (2011) Margie E. Lachman, Ph.D, Stefan Agrigoroaei, Ph.D , Chandra Murphy, B.A. and Patricia A. Tun, Ph.D.
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