As your youth fades away, you may begin to fear growing old.
But research that my colleague and I recently published in the journal Intelligence shows that there are also very good reasons to be excited: for many of us, overall psychological functioning peaks between the ages of 55 and 60.
And knowing this shows why people in this age range may be best at solving complex problems and providing leadership in the workforce.
Different types of vertices
Much research shows that humans reach their physical peak between their 20s and early 30s.
Related: Study Reveals Turning Point When Your Body’s Aging Accelerates
Much research also shows that people’s raw intellectual abilities—that is, their ability to reason, remember, and quickly process information—generally begin to decline starting in their mid-20s.
This trend is reflected in the real world. Athletes tend to reach their career peak before age 30. Mathematicians often make their most significant contributions in their mid-30s. Chess champions are rarely at their peak after age 40.
Yet when we look beyond raw processing power, a different picture emerges.
From reasoning to emotional stability
In our study, we focused on well-established psychological traits beyond reasoning ability that can be measured accurately, represent enduring characteristics rather than temporary states, have well-documented age trajectories, and are known to predict real-world performance.
Our research identified 16 psychological dimensions meeting these criteria.
These included basic cognitive abilities such as reasoning, memory span, processing speed, knowledge and emotional intelligence. They also included the “big five” personality traits: extroversion, emotional stability, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness.
We compiled existing large-scale studies examining the 16 dimensions we identified. By standardizing these studies to a common scale, we were able to make direct comparisons and map the evolution of each trait over the lifespan.
Reaching its peak later in life
Many of the traits we measured peak much later in life. For example, consciousness peaked around age 65. Emotional stability peaked around age 75.
Less often discussed dimensions, such as moral reasoning, also appear to peak among older adults. And the ability to resist cognitive biases – mental shortcuts that can lead us to make irrational or less accurate decisions – could continue to improve well into the 70s or even 80s.
When we combined the age-related trajectories of the 16 dimensions into a theoretically and empirically weighted index, a striking pattern emerged.
Overall mental functioning peaked between ages 55 and 60, before starting to decline from around age 65. This decline became more pronounced after age 75, suggesting that reductions in functioning later in life may accelerate once they begin.
Getting rid of age-based assumptions
Our findings may help explain why many of the most demanding leadership positions in business, politics, and public life are often held by people in their 50s and early 60s. Thus, although many abilities decline with age, they are balanced by the growth of other important traits. Together, these strengths promote better judgment and more measured decision-making – qualities that are crucial at the top.
Despite our findings, older workers face greater difficulties re-entering the labor market after job loss. To some extent, structural factors can influence hiring decisions. For example, employers may view hiring someone in their 50s as a short-term investment if retirement at 60 is likely.
In other cases, certain roles have a mandatory retirement age. For example, the International Civil Aviation Organization sets the retirement age at 65 for international airline pilots. Many countries also require air traffic controllers to retire between the ages of 56 and 60. Since these jobs require high levels of memory and attention, such age limits are often considered justifiable.
However, people’s experiences vary.
Research has shown that while some adults experience a decline in their reasoning speed and memory, others also retain these abilities later in life.
Age alone therefore does not determine overall cognitive functioning. Assessments should therefore focus on individuals’ actual abilities and characteristics rather than assumptions based on age.
A peak, not a countdown
Taken together, these findings highlight the need for more age-inclusive hiring and retention practices, recognizing that many people bring valuable assets to their jobs in midlife.
Charles Darwin published On the origin of species at 50 years old. Ludwig van Beethoven, at 53 and profoundly deaf, created his Ninth Symphony. Most recently, Lisa Su, now 55, led computer company Advanced Micro Devices through one of the industry’s most dramatic technical turnarounds.
History is full of people who reached their greatest breakthroughs well beyond what society often calls “peak age.” Maybe it’s time to stop thinking of midlife as a countdown and start recognizing it as a peak.
Gilles E. Gignac, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Western Australia
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
