Some important Brain Functions Improve with Age according to findings presented in HBR’s Conversation blog.
In areas as diverse as vocabulary and inductive reasoning, our brains function better than they did in our 20s. As we age, we more easily get the “gist” of arguments. Even our judgment of others improves. Often, we simply “know” if someone — or some idea — is to be trusted. We also get better at knowing what to ignore and when to hold our tongues.
It’s important to understand your strengths and the strengths of those around you. I find it encouraging that not only do reasoning and therefore decision making skills getting better, the all important ability to determine the people with the right skills to compliment your own abilities grows as well. But just like the 40 year old quarterback who thinks he’s still in his prime – Oh, that’s right, he had a record breaking year, didn’t he? Well, there are always exceptions, right? -, we have to know when it’s time to pass the torch for some activities to others. Here is how one manager does it:
When gathered to discuss a problem, he keeps his “mouth shut” and listens. Even though — more often than not — he has a good solution, he waits. He does not speak.
“I find it works best if I let the younger workers talk first, wrestle with the problem in their own way,” he told me. “Then after a while, I say what I think might work. I’m not sure why, but this seems to work best and to help us all learn and solve the problem better.”
In fact, though he did not realize it, the executive was using the best parts of his calmer and more experienced middle-aged brain to help him manage his situation — and get better results.
It’s true that by midlife our brains can show some fraying. Brain processing speed slows down. Faced with new information, we often cannot master it as quickly as our younger peers. And there’s little question that our short-term memories suffer.