Truth Is The Word
Growing Wiser
Harnessing Cognitive Enhancements in Later Life Introduction Something that seemed strange has been happening to me over the last few months. On one hand, I have been feeling less mentally agile than I once was, but on the other hand, I have felt strangely ‘smarter’. As I thought about it an unpleasant thought occurred to me, ‘ Is this perhaps self-delusion, an effect of deteriorating cognitive ability?’ So, I started to research the matter and found to my surprise that what I was sensing was quite common and well investigated. Hence, this article. Getting older is not simply a long, slow goodbye to who you were. Yes, some things fade and a lot changes as we age, but other things, and remarkable things at that, come into their own. If you are in your sixties, seventies, or eighties, you may already be sensing something of what I have been experiencing, even if you cannot quite name it. Two Kinds of Intelligence Psychologists draw a useful distinction between two broad types of mental ability, and once we understand it, a great deal about the ageing mind begins to make sense. The first is Fluid Intelligence, the raw mental horsepower that lets you solve new problems quickly, pick up unfamiliar skills, and process information at speed. Think of it as cognitive agility. It peaks in early adulthood and gradually declines from the mid-sixties onward. The second is Crystallised Intelligence, the accumulated weight of everything you have learned, observed, and integrated over a lifetime. It includes your vocabulary, your judgement, your ability to read situations, and your hard-won wisdom. This kind of intelligence does not peak early. Research suggests it continues developing into the late sixties and early seventies, and some of its deepest expressions, like reflective wisdom, narrative insight, and spiritual discernment, continue ripening well into the eighties. A young person may be faster at mastering a new app, but you are better placed to discern what that technology means for the people who will use it, the society it will shape, and the values it will either serve or erode. That is not a consolation prize. That is a profound and valuable gift. What Actually Grows in Later Life Beyond crystallised intelligence, there are specific capacities that tend to develop, or deepen, as we move through our sixties, seventies, and beyond. I find this genuinely exciting: Integrative wisdom: The ability to hold complexity without being overwhelmed by it, to see the bigger picture, and to arrive at sound judgments without needing all the data. Emotional steadiness: Greater capacity for empathy, patience (sadly, not in my case yet), and resilience. Less reactive, more considered. Pattern recognition: An instinct for spotting what does not add up — in arguments, in media, in relationships. Years of experience create a kind of internal radar. Creative and reflective depth: In later life, many people experience a surge of creative energy — in writing, mentoring, teaching, or simply in the quality of their conversations. Spiritual insight: A deepened sense of what matters, a greater comfort with mystery, and an increasingly honest reckoning with mortality and meaning. Many people become aware of these gifts quite suddenly. However, what feels like a sudden shift is usually the recognition of changes that have been quietly developing for years. The Harder Side: Stress, Memory, and Knowing the Difference As all of us oldies realise, growing old is not all positive (understatement of the century). The physical limitations and health problems are obvious and not worth speaking about here. However, there are a few mental negatives that are worth mentioning: A Lower Threshold for Stress One of the more common and least-discussed challenges of later life is a noticeably lower tolerance for stress. You may find that situations that you once handled without much difficulty now feel genuinely overwhelming. Physical symptoms can accompany this, like a racing heart, fatigue, tension headaches, shaking hands, and shortness of breath. This is not imaginary, and it is not a weakness. It reflects real physiological changes: the autonomic nervous system takes longer to recover from stress arousal as we age, and our cognitive reserve — the mental bandwidth that lets us juggle competing demands — is reduced. Knowing this helps, because it means we can respond wisely rather than simply pushing through and often getting distressed and becoming a problem for others. Normal Forgetfulness vs Something More Memory is the concern I hear most often from people in their later years, and it deserves a direct answer. Forgetting where you left your keys, struggling to retrieve a name, or losing a word mid-sentence — these are normal features of an ageing brain. The retrieval mechanism slows down; the information is almost certainly still there. It is frustrating, but it is not a cause for concern. What should prompt us to see a doctor is a different pattern altogether: persistent confusion, asking the same questions repeatedly within a short space of time, becoming lost in familiar surroundings, or finding that tasks you have done routinely for years are now genuinely difficult. These experiences are not part of typical ageing, and the earlier they are investigated, the better. Here is a presentation which may help explain things: Click on each slide to view, and use your browser's back button to return to this post. Let’s turn, as always, to the scriptures for wisdom. What Scripture Says I am struck by how well the biblical picture of later life aligns with what researchers are now discovering about the ageing mind (nothing new here!). It is what we should expect when empirical inquiry and divine revelation are both pointing at reality. Proverbs states that "grey hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life" (Prov. 16:31 ESV). Of course, this verse does not honour old age universally. Rather, it honours righteous old age. The crown belongs to those who have walked faithfully. That gives these years a particular weight and calling. Psalm 92 is even more vivid: "They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green" (v. 14, NIV). Fresh and green. That is not the language of dignified decline; it is the language of active, ongoing vitality. And as a special note to my wife, no, it doesn’t mean eating more vegetables and salads. Paul writes to Titus with clear expectations of older believers: that older men and women model godly character, sound faith, and love, serving as living examples and wisdom-bearers for the next generation (Titus 2:2–5). The church needs what only years can produce. The church and the world need godly elderly people And for those who are in Christ, all of this is held within a larger hope. Ageing is not a journey toward irrelevance. It is a journey toward resurrection. It is an increasingly transparent dependence on the One in whom all wisdom and knowledge are hidden – Jesus (Col. 2:3). The frailties of later life are, in that light, an invitation to trust more fully, to hold more lightly, and to radiate the kind of peace that only comes from a long walk with God. Conclusion Getting older is not the end of the story. It is, for many of us, the chapter where the deepest things finally come to the surface. Yes, fluid intelligence slows. Some things are genuinely harder. But crystallised intelligence blossoms. Wisdom deepens. Spiritual insight sharpens. And the years of faithful living begin to bear fruit in ways that younger people simply cannot replicate yet. This personal journey of self-discovery started when I asked whether I was getting ‘smarter’ or deluding myself. The answer is neither – I am just changing, and that in itself is encouraging. The invitation to us is to embrace both sides of old age honestly and hopefully: to accept the limits without pretending they are not there, and to celebrate the gifts without taking them for granted. In doing so, we can offer the church, our family, and future generations something irreplaceable — the fruit of a lifetime lived in the knowledge and love of God, and the abilities usually possessed only by the elderly. Please note, if you are reading this via email and it doesn’t look right or there are audio problems, please go to www.truthistheword.com to view and listen to the audio DeepDive online or go to the AudioVisual page where you can access any of the series posts and audio files from one place.
