Well, it’s official, sort of.  Middle age is from 40 to 68.  And your brain doesn’t even peak till 50s.  And it can even continue to peak into your 70s and 80s.

Scientists are turning their attention to what actually happens in our middle years.  Research is accumulating that turns old ideas of the aging process on its head – and about time if you ask me.

What natural therapies, and of course for me that includes Kinesiology, have been saying and addressing for the last 30 years, is now being validated by the very people who were previously dismissing personal experience as not valid as research.

Now they are saying your personal experience does count, which of course you already knew, but only if it is in a group scientists are monitoring.  Hmm.  The latest findings highlight that life and work experience accumulates and cross references in your head in such a way that your brain becomes better, more effective in problem solving, in seeing ahead and avoiding pitfalls, especially in your area of expertise, be that in the scientific world, corporate world, or in the family arena.

Certainly some brain connections do faulter, like remembering names or where you left your glasses or keys, but that happens to the young too.   In other areas you go from strength to strength and can match and often outperform those in their 20s and 30s according to research studies.

Ask anyone in their middle years and many will tell you, “I don’t want to go back to teens or early adulthood.”  And I personally feel the same way.  Working out all the child to adult transition questions, who am I, what are my strengths and abilities, where do I belong, who do I belong with, how will I find what’s right for me, and many other related questions, generated far too much angst to want to repeat.  The lessons learned in those early years were often difficult, confusing, emotionally painful and exhausting.

So it seems that by middle age we are more at home with ourselves, have discovered what we like and don’t like, found at least some of our strengths, have established our direction, and honed many abilities.  We are now masters in some areas of our life.  And it seems that makes us more positive in our outlook too.  So the middle age brain is more contented.

The next bit that I want confirmed is that we can stay well, fit and healthy, till the day we die.  More on this theme to come.

Cheers
Anna McRobert
anna@annamcrobert.com.au