Day 273 of 365 - Ageing, Learning & Creativity
I'm currently reading the book, Bolder, by Carl Honoré. He wrote it to explore and challenge the stereotypes around ageing, as he himself approached the tender age of 50 and worried about losing his mojo. He covers a variety of topics, so I'll likely be inspired for at least a couple of blog posts from his writing.
The chapter I just read examines whether or not it is true that creativity diminishes with age. Popular cultural belief would have us think that the best ideas, creations, art and inventions come from people under the age of 30. While it is true that many great things came from young minds, it is a false belief that creativity peaks under the age of 30 and diminishes henceforth.
It is true that our brains physically change as we grow older, gradually losing weight and volume. Blood vessels shrink and the brain cells get smaller. The myelin sheath around nerves degenerates. These things do slow down our processing speed, but they do not diminish our creativity. Actually, we tend to access more areas of our brain for problem solving as we grow older, which can enhance creativity. We can put things together in more novel ways, and our tendency to slow down our minds supports this too.
'The chief obstacle to learning in later life is not the ageing brain, it is the ageist stereotypes that erode our confidence and put us off trying new things in the first place', Honoré says.
So, what is it that older creative types do to keep that spark alive? They keep their brains active in various ways. The important thing seems to be continuing to challenge ourselves in new ways, with novel learning in a way that pushes us out of our comfort zone. To that end, doing the same old daily brain games, like crosswords and sudoku might not do the trick. We need to push the level of challenge in order to increase the size of the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain. It looks like lifelong learning is definitely a good idea.
Adopting an experimental mindset, seeking out new challenges and trying new things keeps the brain malleable. It also turns out that as we age, in terms of creativity and innovation, we have the factors of time and experience on our side. Learning something unfamiliar might take us longer, but we might do it with more discipline than we did when we were younger. Taking classes to learn new skills, reading a variety of books, watching documentaries and listening to lectures or podcasts all seem like good options. So are social activities which stimulate our brains, like attending theater, music performances or art shows, or better still, participating in creating or performing these.
What else supports our brain in maintaining creativity? Well, no surprise, healthy diet, enough sleep and avoiding stress. Current research is also highlighting the importance of physical activity and exercise for brain health. How much? Well, about 45 minutes of moderate exercise, three times a week seems to be adequate to support neural growth and even to help prevent dementia.
Keep healthy, keep active and keep learning and creating as long as you like.
The chapter I just read examines whether or not it is true that creativity diminishes with age. Popular cultural belief would have us think that the best ideas, creations, art and inventions come from people under the age of 30. While it is true that many great things came from young minds, it is a false belief that creativity peaks under the age of 30 and diminishes henceforth.
It is true that our brains physically change as we grow older, gradually losing weight and volume. Blood vessels shrink and the brain cells get smaller. The myelin sheath around nerves degenerates. These things do slow down our processing speed, but they do not diminish our creativity. Actually, we tend to access more areas of our brain for problem solving as we grow older, which can enhance creativity. We can put things together in more novel ways, and our tendency to slow down our minds supports this too.
'The chief obstacle to learning in later life is not the ageing brain, it is the ageist stereotypes that erode our confidence and put us off trying new things in the first place', Honoré says.
So, what is it that older creative types do to keep that spark alive? They keep their brains active in various ways. The important thing seems to be continuing to challenge ourselves in new ways, with novel learning in a way that pushes us out of our comfort zone. To that end, doing the same old daily brain games, like crosswords and sudoku might not do the trick. We need to push the level of challenge in order to increase the size of the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain. It looks like lifelong learning is definitely a good idea.
Adopting an experimental mindset, seeking out new challenges and trying new things keeps the brain malleable. It also turns out that as we age, in terms of creativity and innovation, we have the factors of time and experience on our side. Learning something unfamiliar might take us longer, but we might do it with more discipline than we did when we were younger. Taking classes to learn new skills, reading a variety of books, watching documentaries and listening to lectures or podcasts all seem like good options. So are social activities which stimulate our brains, like attending theater, music performances or art shows, or better still, participating in creating or performing these.
What else supports our brain in maintaining creativity? Well, no surprise, healthy diet, enough sleep and avoiding stress. Current research is also highlighting the importance of physical activity and exercise for brain health. How much? Well, about 45 minutes of moderate exercise, three times a week seems to be adequate to support neural growth and even to help prevent dementia.
Keep healthy, keep active and keep learning and creating as long as you like.
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