It’s a known fact that our cognitive skills change over time. But, what particular cognitive skills change, and what skills remain as is? Are these changes for the better or worse? Let’s see what the experts think.

Memory 
For middle-aged and older people, experiencing some memory slips is a common occurrence. The reason behind this phenomenon is the physical changes in the brain over time.

 As a person grows older, certain brain areas, such as the hippocampus, shrinks. Moreover, the myelin sheath, the protective layer that surrounds nerve fibers, weakens. With these changes, communication between neurons slows down which results in difficulties in memory retention and retrieval.

Wisdom
With age comes wisdom. After all, a person would have learned and experienced so many things over the course of their lifespan. But, is wisdom only correlated with experience or is it also affected by physical changes in the brain?

According to Harvard Health Publishing, the connections between different areas of the brain strengthen over time. As a result, a person is able to see things in a bigger picture and realize implications of several issues. “With age, your brain becomes better at seeing the entire forest and worse at seeing the leaves,” says Harvard Health Publishing. 

Intelligence 
The debate of whether intelligence deteriorates or improves over time is unresolved.

While it is true that younger people are better at memory retention, they are prone to making risky decisions. Meanwhile, older people are better at gauging things and making decisions, they are a bit slow in memory recall.

It is for this reason that measuring the intelligence of the two age groups are difficult to perform. Seeing things in a rational manner is an intelligence that is necessary for real-life situations, but difficult to put in an experimental setting. In addition, younger people are at an unfair advantage in intelligence standardized tests as older people’s response rate is naturally slower.

Creativity
There is no certain age where creativity peaks or deteriorates. History has shown that our famous inventors and artists were not limited by their old age in honing their craft.

Sophocles was 89 years old when he wrote one of his greatest plays, Oedipus at Colonus. At 72 years old, Galileo Galilee wrote his best writing, the Dialogues Concerning the New Sciences. On the other hand, Georgia O’Keeffe, the famous painter behind “Black Iris III,” continued painting at her late 90’s.

Creativity never deteriorates in old age. Rather, it transforms into a new form, which is best described by the German word “Altersstil.” This word is often used to describe the distinct artistic style honed by old age. 

What’s not normal 
Over time, some cognitive abilities deteriorate while others improve. However, it is important to distinguish which abilities are normal and which are symptoms of an underlying medical problem. If you are experiencing one or two of the following, please talk to your doctor immediately:

• Using the wrong words to describe things (e.g. using the word “table” instead of “oven)
• Struggling to follow simple instructions and conversations
• Misplacing your things and often in weird places (e.g. putting your keys inside a refrigerator)
• Having difficulty remembering what you ate for dinner, even if you were given helpful cues to remember
• Responding late to important stimuli (e.g. traffic lights)

Sources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/how-memory-and-thinking-ability-change-with-age
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-and-science-aging-well/201611/how-aging-affects-our-memory

Contributed by: Allison Julianne Macasaet
Allison is a freelance writer on the side, a student of international relations on the other. Interests include fantasy books, international relations, and lifestyle.