Most of my friends share my concern with becoming more forgetful. Seems it’s a widespread phenomenon in those of us over 50. Though I’ve never been good with names, I’m worse than ever. And then there’s the walking through the house and not recalling what on earth I was looking for. So I was greatly consoled by a recent interview on NPR’s Fresh Air with author Barbara Strauch, who is Health and Science Editor of the New York Times. She was talking about her new book, The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain, and she made it clear that all my concerns are typical of someone my age. She put a great deal in perspective, including a normal decline in processing speed. As a Southerner, I just thought I needed people to speak more slowly so I could take in what they’re saying. Turns out my brain really needs extra time to tune in. The good news, however, is that even as processing speed declines, cognitive functioning (thinking logically, etc.) improves from the 40s to at least the mid 60s. The reason may be that as we age, we learn to use both sides of our brain instead of favoring one. And with this bilateralization, we have better access to the prefrontal cortex where rational thinking occurs. Now as I see it, thinking takes time – as in making a thoughtful decision vs. a snap judgment. So might we actually learn from experience to slow down our processing speed in order to make better decisions? Think about it, and see how well your prefrontal cortex is working.
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