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By Dr. Karen for Boomeryearbook
We have often heard adults make the statement “if I only knew then what I know now…” Perhaps it doesn’t have so much to do with our knowledge but with the way an older person’s brain processes the ups and downs of life. Researchers believe that older people respond differently to their negative feelings than persons of a younger generation. Researchers are discovering that an older person will not respond as strongly to life’s negative aspects.
An interesting study was carried out where older women and younger ones were shown a series of images. These images were a combination of photos to stimulate a positive, neutral or negative response. The younger women were around 25 years old while the older ladies averaged 70 years. At a later date the women were tested to see which photos they remembered. Both groups showed the tendency to remember the negative photos, but interestingly a significant amount of the older women recalled fewer of them than the younger subjects in the study. It was concluded that the older women have an ability to suppress the way they process the information. The possibility exists that they may prefer to center on more positive information and downplay the negatives. There are several theories as to why this happens.
As seniors age many of their friends and family become sick and some pass away. The thought processing of the negative information could be a protective mechanism; pushing away the negatives helps them cope against feelings of vulnerability.
It’s also interesting to note that a renowned neuroscientist indicates that the brain actually rewires itself as people learn new things. Seniors have a lot of experience in many matters. Handling negativity is one of them, over the years they have learned to cope with many different aspects of life including its ups and downs.
So far we have discussed the effects on the older women and have not mentioned the men. Researchers are keeping an open mind as to how the men will react to the same or similar testing.
One thing is for certain. The subject is an intriguing one and has opened the doors for further research. Oftentimes advice is written off as not being valid due to ‘seniors being old and out of touch” with societal changes.” However, researchers are dispelling this ageist prejudice as in the last several years; scientists have learned a great deal about the human mind. It is a mysterious organ and there is so much more to learn and uncover. One can only imagine what will be discovered through the exploration of the magnificent human brain.
Naturally as human beings we all think differently and that’s what makes us unique. We all have a brain but it is exciting to learn what affects the thought processes of the individuals and how they change as we go through the ageing process.
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