Posted ,
Reading 1 min.
A new study shows that no, the brain does not slow down slowly from the age of 20, it just takes longer with maturity.
“I’m not 20 anymore!” Forget that adage that beyond that age the brain isn’t as sharp. A study published in the medical journal Natural Human Behavior shows that the speed of cerebral reactivity only begins to decrease around the age of 60.
No general slowing of the brain from the age of 20
So far studies have shown that from the age of 20, the brain certainly begins to slow down in general from the age of 60. But during this new study another hypothesis is emerging.
The study group reviewed the results of other studies on the same topic, collecting cognitive response data from more than 1.2 million people between the ages of 10 and 80.
A longer decision-making time linked to maturity
They then realized that, in reality, it is not the processing of information in the brain that lengthens, but the decision-making time. The latter is first faster between 10 and 20 years, then becomes longer and longer each following year up to 60 years. A detail that is important since, according to the study group, it could simply mean that the brain does not slow down from the twenties. It’s just a factor of maturity, showing that the older we get, the more we weigh the pros and cons, we take into account factors due to experience before deciding.
The real progressive decline of the brain from the age of 60?
True progressive brain decline would not begin until around age 60, according to the study group. And don’t worry, the speed of information processing was still very efficient in many of the seniors studied.