At what age are we at our smartest?
When you reach a certain age, it often feels as though everything is in decline. Your body, your memory, your energy. But what if getting older didn't have to be a purely downward slope?
Research has shown that that idea may in fact be a misconception. That's right, your intellectual peak may end up coming much later than you expect.
Surely, our most significant intellectual performances happen when we're young, don't they?
Well, there's certainly some evidence that suggests our intellectual abilities peak in our 20s. For example, mathematicians are sometimes already seen as being past their prime once they reach their 30s, while various sources suggest that chess players rarely remain at the top of their game after 40.
But there is an important catch. That general rule mainly applies to what are known as raw cognitive skills. We're talking about the ability to think quickly, memorize efficiently, and process information at speed. But really, intelligence goes well beyond just that.
Two psychology researchers, Giorginiak and Marcin Zajenkowski, chose to take a much broader view of what intelligence really encompasses. They actually examined 16 different psychological dimensions, including reasoning and memory, of course, but also leadership, emotional stability, and organisational skills, traits that had rarely been considered in earlier studies.
Jignak was the study's lead author, and writing in the conversation, he said, several of the traits we measured reached their peak much later in life. For example, conscientiousness peaked around age 65. Emotional stability peaked around age 75.
So it's fair to say that there's not one single time in our lives when intelligence peaks, but a series of peaks across our lifespan. Overall cognitive ability reaches its highest level between the ages of 55 and 60, far later than most of us would expect.
Now, we may not be the quickest at 60, but we're often significantly more organised and emotionally balanced. After 65, cognitive ability begins to decline gradually and more sharply after 75.
Why do older people tend to face discrimination in the world of work then?
That's not necessarily because older people are less capable, but because of age bias, which can lead to concerns about outdated skills and them effectively being shut out of the recruitment process. There's also the belief among some employers that someone over 55 will not stay with their company long enough to justify recruiting them. There you have it.
词汇表
be in decline [dɪˈklaɪn] 处于衰退中，在下降
downward slope [ˈdaʊnwəd sləʊp] 下坡路，下降趋势
misconception [ˌmɪskənˈsepʃn] n. 误解，错误看法
intellectual peak [ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl piːk] 智力巅峰，智力顶峰
peak [piːk] n. 巅峰，顶峰；vi. 达到顶峰
mathematician [ˌmæθəməˈtɪʃn] n. 数学家
past one's prime [praɪm] 过了巅峰期，过了黄金时期
chess player 棋手，国际象棋选手
catch n. 隐患，不利条件，限制条件
raw cognitive skills [rɔː ˈkɒɡnətɪv skɪlz] 原始认知能力（快速思考、高效记忆以及迅速处理信息的能力）
encompass [ɪnˈkʌmpəs] vt. 包含，涵盖，包括
emotional stability [stəˈbɪləti] 情绪稳定性
conscientiousness [ˌkɒnʃiˈenʃəsnəs] n. 尽责性，认真，责任心
lifespan [ˈlaɪfspæn] n. 寿命，生命周期，使用期限
overall cognitive ability [ˌəʊvərɔːl ˈkɒɡnətɪv] 整体认知能力
emotionally balanced [ɪˈməʊʃənəli ˈbælənst] adj. 情绪平稳的，心态平衡的
discrimination [dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃn] n. 歧视，区别对待
age bias [ˈbaɪəs] 年龄偏见，年龄歧视
outdated [aʊtˈdeɪtɪd] adj. 过时的，陈旧的
effectively [ɪˈfektɪvli] adv. 实际上，事实地
be shut out of 被排斥在…之外，被挡在…门外
recruitment process [rɪˈkruːtmənt] 招聘流程
justify [ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ] vt. 值得，证明…是合理的，为…辩解
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