Weekly Blog

June 26

When is "the hill"? You know, the figurative image of peak human performance and the onset of inevitable decline we all face once we are "over the hill". It's a question I like to use, especially in a group, to illustrate that although packaging aging this way is convenient, it is also inaccurate.

In truth, and staying with the analogy, after a decade or so in the mountains - our mid 20's to mid 30's for physical capacity and structure, for example - most people navigate up and down various foothills, experiencing numerous peaks and valleys as they progress through middle age and toward retirement. In fact, some capabilities like "crystallized intelligence" (making sense of things), which differs significantly from raw processing power (computation), might not peak until midlife or even later, according to some findings. Yet, even these findings don't really challenge the fundamental idea: that we should expect a peak followed by decline - whether it looks like a smooth downgrade or a general trend. Of course, there are individual cases that say otherwise.

This fascinating article from August of last year claims, for example, that a strong neuroscience foundation - the crossroads of adaptation due to neuroplasticity over time and refined recovery methods - explains why superstars like Novak Djokovic and LeBron James seem to have gotten better with age. However, it's far simpler to conclude that these same capacities aren't really available to mere mortals like us. Therefore, we often view these athletes as outliers or anomalies rather than disciplined investors maximizing returns through time and effort.  New research from a team at Yale University, however, provides evidence that getting better with age is more common than we think. 

Published in March of this year, this study showed that almost half of the more than 11,000 participants - aged 65 and older - improved in at least one of the measured areas over the next decade. Thirty-two percent improved on cognitive measures, and twenty-eight percent improved on physical measures. This suggests a sizable percentage, as much as 15%, improved in both areas. However, when the researchers tried to determine why some individuals improved while others didn't, the results were striking.

The team found that individuals with positive beliefs about aging at the study's start tended to perform better over time. This finding aligns with Stereotype Embodiment theory, which the current study's lead author described first in 2009. The theory suggests we grow toward what we believe and see in the world around us; aging is a social construct heavily influenced by our environment. This might explain Harvard's classic 1979 "counterclockwise" experiment by Ellen Langer, which literally turned back the clock on aging in its participants by placing them in a 5-day time-capsule environment. 

Of course, the big takeaway message, which applies at any age, is the most important learning of all - our beliefs drive our behaviors and ultimately our results. The stories we tell ourselves - our "narrative" if you prefer trendy terms - heavily influence and often become our reality. 

So the next time things feel stiff rolling out of bed or a body part protests after a long day of repetitive effort, ask yourself whether it's truly a sign of "getting old" as the world often suggests, or if it's actually the feeling of getting stronger, which an athlete would expect after a hard day of training. Believe it, the choice is ours.

Have a great weekend,

Mike E.