Midlife crisis

I had meant to link this article when I read it a few weeks ago. Thank goodness for mental "tickler files."

From "The Myth of the Midlife Crisis" (Newsweek, January 16, 2006):

[R]ecent discoveries in neuroscience show that the aging brain is more flexible and adaptable than we previously thought. Studies suggest that the brain's left and right hemispheres become better integrated during middle age, making way for greater creativity. Age also seems to dampen some negative emotions. And a great deal of scientific work has confirmed the "use it or lose it" adage, showing that the aging brain grows stronger from use and challenge. In short, midlife is a time of new possibility. Growing old can be filled with positive experiences. The challenge is to recognize our potential—and nurture it.

Later:

Magnified tremendously, the brain of a mentally active 50-year-old looks like a dense forest of interlocking branches, and this density reflects both deeper knowledge and better judgment. That's why age is such an advantage in fields like editing, law, medicine, coaching and management. There is no substitute for acquired learning.

Still later:

Research has identified several types of activity that can, if practiced regularly, help boost the power, clarity and subtlety of the aging brain.

:: Exercise physically.
:: Exercise mentally.
:: Pick challenging leisure activities.
:: Achieve mastery.
:: Establish strong social networks.

In conclusion:

[O]ur brain hardware is capable of adapting, growing and becoming more complex and integrated with age. As our brains mature and evolve, so do our knowledge, our emotions and our expressive abilities.

Musing...
Perhaps the articles, books, conversations, etc. that speak most powerfully to us are those with which we violently disagree and those with which we heartily concur. This article was one of the latter. I've been singing the "Use It or Lose It" song since before I started "Mental multivitamin." (See this early entry.) Growing older has helped me begin to perceive the wisdom that the four-plus decades that came before can offer. Growing older has also forced me to accept that the journey is half over: Life is short, and it would be foolish to waste any time.

Read. Think. Learn.

Work.

Play. Laugh. Love. Live.