Old age begins at 27: Scientists reveal new research

According to scientists, our mental abilities begin to decline from the age of 27 after reaching a peak at 22.

The researchers studied 2,000 men and women aged 18 to 60 over seven years. The people involved – who were mostly in good health and well-educated – had to solve visual puzzles, recall words and story details and spot patterns in letters and symbols.

Similar tests are often used to diagnose mental disabilities and declines, including dementia.

The research at the University of Virginia, reported in the academic journal Neurobiology Of Aging, found that in nine out of 12 tests the average age at which the top performance was achieved was 22.

The first age at which performance was significantly lower than the peak scores was 27 – for three tests of reasoning, speed of thought and spatial visualisation. Memory was shown to decline from the average age of 37. In the other tests, poorer results were shown by the age of 42.

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Phew thankfully i have a few more years before i officially start aging ... i'm not going to lie these results kind of surprise me ... any 27 year olds out there? how does it feel to know that you're body (mentally, and physically) is officially aging (getting slower) as you're typing this?

Bugger...I only got 3 weeks till it's all over


I better start cramming!

Darn, I only have 3 years of genius left! Better cure cancer quick!

reply to post by baseball101


For all of us older people out here, I don't believe a word of it. It is a generalization of people, probably people that volunteered because they didn't have anything else to do but become someones guinea pig. I think it may start in the 50s or even later depending upon the person.

One of the comments on the link supplied by the OP makes a good point; 22 is the age of the average college graduate. Perhaps age is not to blame here. Maybe it's the fact that test subjects in the older age brackets had completed their formal education and were no longer participating in "intellectually-stimulating" activities (or doing so to a much lesser degree).

I would be inclined to take these results more seriously, if the results were found to be reproducible in post-graduate populations (esp. medical/graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, interns, etc.). Perhaps the true significance of this study pertains more to the importance of life-long learning than it does to aging.

Let's face it, most people go into professions that aren't exactly stimulating from an intellectual standpoint. If you don't use it, you lose it!

That's very interesting, I always thought it about 35 you start aging. But this is only an average they came up with after some tests. I would bet that if they tried this same test again, then the age might differ a bit. Star and Flag OP, thanks for posting.

I'm with RussianScientists on this one. Although it might be true that our capacity for learning declines with age if we don't exercise it, I really, honestly believe that it MUST be used to improve, and this can take place at any age.

It's easy to forget how to learn, or even not realise that you are learning incorrectly when we are still very young...by this I mean under 25. As we get older and learn more about ourselves and how we function, and what our strengths really are, the learning process becomes more managable, and easier to organise. It's also easier to let your voice be heard. I can think of dozens of examples of missed opportunities for learning and real development when I was at university the first time round, simply because I didn't have the voice to say how I felt. Now I'm 43, and going back to uni in the autumn, it will be a totally different experience. Till then, I'm doing computing courses, building a portfolio of work and brushing up my language skills....why not?

Nice thread star and a flag for sure. 27 ? I think that this test(s) may of been slightly off in one way or another, as a fellow ATS member said; the average age of some one at college is 22 thus making a 22 years olds mind much more stimulating than some older peoples. If your mind is being simulated the majority of the day then you will think faster and what not, if you get into a routine and do not mentally stimulate yourself then your response to questions will decrease. I think this is a case of your surroundings/daily routine, rather than your age. Good thread nonetheless.

Fox

I don't believe it. These kinds of studies come out all the time saying one thing and get all kinds of attention, only to get debunked the next month or year. One will say one thing, then another will come out saying the opposite.

I used to work with a lot of people in the over fifty age group. I observed first-hand that those who continued to actually use their brains on a regular basis did just fine, while those who got lazy and let someone else do all their brain work were the ones to mentally deteriorate. Most of the scientific studies I've seen conclude that to keep the brain functioning one should do some different kinds of puzzles like suduko and word games from time to time rather than passive-intellectual activities such as watching mindless television constantly.

reply to post by baseball101


I believe it. Left alone and without the benefit of modern medicine, the human body wears out rather quickly. Afterall, what was the average human lifespan only 200 years ago? Probably in the mid 40s, if that. It was just 49.2 in 1900. You would have lived more than half of your natural lifespan on average at age 27.

Its been accepted as fact for a very long time that a person begins declining physically around age 30. I see no reason why mental capabilities should be any different. And certainly, just as with the body, the more 'exercise' your mind receives, the longer you can fend off that inevitable decline.

reply to post by baseball101

In that case I would be very cautious about studies conducted by scientist who are well past 27 years of age. Someone should inform the Nobel Prize Committe about the study, coz the way the medals are awarded conflicts with the latest findings about who is mentally on top.