The ageing brain: it ain't all downhillThe ageing brain: it ain't all downhill
All In The Mind
Growing older is something we only get to do if we’re lucky, so why are so many of us unenthusiastic about the prospect of ageing? We speak to neuroscientist and author Dan Levitin about his new book The Changing Mind, which looks at the ways the brain actually improves as we age, and how we can help it.
29:06•12 Apr 2020
Why Your Ageing Brain Might Be Better Than You Think
Episode Overview
- Resilience, conscientiousness, curiosity and openness to new experiences are linked with better outcomes in later life.
- Learning new skills and staying mentally active help build cognitive reserve, which can mask symptoms of conditions such as Alzheimer’s.
- Older adults often gain strengths in pattern recognition, practical problem solving, empathy and compassion due to experience and brain changes.
- Stressful testing environments can make older adults’ memory look worse than it is; calmer, familiar settings reveal much stronger performance.
- Regular exercise, engaging hobbies, and rich social and physical environments can reduce chronic pain and support overall brain health.
“Older adults improve in many abilities every decade after 60.”
What drives someone to seek a more confident attitude towards getting older? This conversation between neuroscientist Daniel Levitin and host Sana Kadar looks at ageing from a fresh angle: instead of decline and irrelevance, you’ll hear why later life can actually be a period of mental strength, happiness and surprising advantages.
Levitin, author of *The Changing Mind*, challenges the gloomy stereotype about ageing with a simple statement: "Older adults improve in many abilities every decade after 60." He explains how structural and chemical shifts in the brain support empathy, gratitude and what psychologist Laura Carstensen calls a "positivity bias". That shrinking fear centre, the amygdala, helps older adults react less out of panic and more from calm perspective. Personality takes centre stage too.
Traits such as resilience, conscientiousness, curiosity and openness to new experiences are described as powerful foundations for ageing well. Levitin talks through very down-to-earth ways these can be strengthened at any age, from psychotherapy and meditation to small doses of medication where appropriate. Conscientious people, he notes wryly, are the ones who "follow rules, doing what you'll say you'll do"—and that includes actually taking the medicine the doctor prescribes.
You’ll also hear why learning new skills builds "cognitive reserve", how staying socially connected gives the brain some of its most demanding workouts, and why pattern recognition and practical problem solving usually get better with age, thanks to years of experience. The discussion even tackles chronic pain, cultural differences in how pain is expressed, and why exercise and rich, engaging environments can make discomfort easier to bear.
If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking that everything after 60 is just a slow slide downhill, this episode offers a different script: what if your brain is gearing up for some of its best work yet?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.