"Intelligence grows with the years"
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Our life is very different from that of earlier generations. Does this also apply to our intelligence?
Siegfried Lehrl: A 60-year-old today is smarter than one 50 years ago. There are no more nutritional problems, and mental stimulation and demands are greater. Since the beginning of intelligence research, the whole society has been constantly uphill, until ten years ago. Now we are observing two trends: the younger ones, above all those who are already under-performing, are losing out, while the older ones are still gaining in intelligence.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Does Intelligence Evolve?
Siegfried Lehrl: I would rather say, intelligence develops with the years. In certain areas, it can even grow with age.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: So the mind ages differently than the body?
Siegfried Lehrl: Yes, it is not a slow withering. And most of all, it does not work out the same for everyone. A quarter of people between the ages of 60 and 70 are still mentally as fit as people 20 or 25 years old.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Where are older people at an advantage?
Siegfried Lehrl: In the second half of life, people act more deliberately. They have their experiences and therefore can better deal with themselves. They know what they can and can not do. That's a big advantage because they can focus on their strengths.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: If I want to learn a new language at the age of 60, but that is certainly harder for me than in the early 20?
Siegfried Lehrl: Yes, but above all because older people want to understand the new language differently than younger people. They are very accurate, because they also make higher demands on their own language. Also, over the years, some people have forgotten how to learn properly. Of course it is harder for them to do that.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: It is possible?
Siegfried Lehrl: Sure. If you want to learn a language, is that always possible? regardless of age. However, as I grow older, I may wonder if it makes sense to start from zero again in one area. At the same time it costs me, I can do more elsewhere. In the meantime, I know my talents and could, instead of learning a new language, specifically expand them.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: What do I have to do to stay mentally fit for a long time?
Siegfried Lehrl: Let little routine emerge in everyday life: Go among people, take responsibility, discover new things on your own. Anyone who is constantly under-challenged, often mentally declines already in their mid-20s. In the long run, nicotine abstinence and a balanced diet are also good for our brains. In a Japanese study, humans were all the more powerful the more diverse they became. In addition: Who is physically fit, thinks better.
Successfully grow older: As fluid intelligence, mobility and strength decrease, we face new challenges in everyday life that we need to face. To master them, the aging researcher Paul Baltes has developed a simple recipe with a complicated name: the theory of selective optimization with compensation. This principle is often illustrated with the pianist Arthur Rubinstein. He answered the question of how to play the piano so well at the age of 80, in the following way: He plays fewer pieces (selection), practice them more frequently (optimization) and slow down some passages so that others appear faster in contrast than he does she could still play in his old age (compensation).
Dr. Siegfried Lehrl, born in 1943, is academic director at the University Hospital Erlangen
