Intelligence Peaks in Midlife, Study Finds
New research โฃfrom psychology expertsโฃ suggests that our cognitive and personality strengths reach their zenith later inโ life than commonly โขbelieved. A study conducted by researchers in Australia and Poland pinpointedโ the age range โof 55โฃ tooโ 60 asโฃ the peak of overall intelligence.
The study, published in the journal Intelligence, โassessed โover 5,000 adults between the agesโ of 18โข and 99. researchers developed a “cognitive functioningโค and personality โindex” encompassing not only conventional cognitive skills like memory, reasoning,โ and processing speed, but also crucial โelements such as emotional intelligence, moral reasoning, empathy, and intellectual curiosity.
While some cognitive โabilities, such as processing speed and workingโข memory, begin to decline around age 30, โขthe researchers foundโ that overall cognitive and personal functioning continues to develop untill midlife. “Our results show that overall cognitive and โpersonal functioning continues โฃto develop until mid-life,” the study authors state.
This finding “challenges many โขconventional assumptions about age and ability, and suggestsโ that midlife may represent the trueโข peak โof โpsychological readiness.” Interestingly, this peak โขaligns โคwith theโข average age of peak professional achievement observed in other research.
The study acknowledges that after age 60, certain cognitive abilities do diminish.โข However, the researchers emphasize that other vitalโค components of intelligence – includingโ wisdom, emotional regulation, andโค moral understanding – continue to โขevolve and effectively โขcompensate for these losses. Maintaining โmental sharpness throughout life,โ they conclude, โis โbest achieved through ongoing intellectual stimulation, curiosity, and consistent social interaction.