MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Here’s When We Hit Our Physical and Mental Peaks

Five takeaways:

1. Scientific efforts to pinpoint the exact pinnacle of our abilities and qualities have shown that humans share one constant: we are perpetually and simultaneously getting better at some things and worse at others.
2. From a physical standpoint, sports like sprinting that require speed, power and maximum oxygen consumption, sees performance peak in an athlete’s mid-20s. In endurance sports, such as marathons, the peak is typically reached by 40. But in tactical low-impact sports, like sailing and equestrian competition, athletes compete at elite levels into their 50s. San Diego equestrian Steffan Peters has competed in five Olympic games, and plans to compete into the 2028 games when he will be 64.
3. This is paralleled by analysis of cognitive development. Researchers have found that young people are better at tasks requiring raw processing power while older people excel at strategy.
4. This trend translated into studies of knowledge/creativity as well. Younger scholars tend to write more “conceptual” research and more avant-garde creative work. Older minds tend to produce work based on the craft and ability that comes with accumulated knowledge and experience.
5. Processing speed – the ability to think quickly and speedily recall info- peaks around 18. But “crystallized intelligence,” the accumulation of knowledge, peaks later on. Vocabulary, for instance, tends to peak at age 65.

From Clare Ansberry at The Wall Street Journal:

Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting The Wall Street Journal requires a subscription to read this article.