(Don’t know if any of these folks - ah siblings - are super-agers, but they’ve definitely aged.)
“Although super-agers' brains show less cell loss than those of their contemporaries, their IQs and educational levels are similar. What sets them apart might be that they view problem-solving differently.”
from Health.Harvard.Edu
On Friday I spent a lovely morning hanging out in Liskeard with a couple of amazing women whilst they were delivering a story-gathering session at a brilliantly named Crafty Toasty event. They were gathering stories about Cornwall, and I was privileged to sit in on it whilst they worked.
One person, an older guy, sat down and started to chat. I recognised him, funnily enough: it turns out he’s been in Poldark, Beyond Paradise, Doc Marten and a plethora of other shows filmed around Cornwall, as an extra. Mostly he said, ‘for something to do.’ He was regaling us with stories from his incredibly vivid and fulfilled life, including a story about a mermaid in Seaton. He is also gifted in the playing of a musical instrument(s), and it turns out weaves, too. And is a Cornish speaker. As I was chatting to him, I realised he was very probably a super-ager. He let slip that he was born in 1939, and honestly, he looked 10 years younger than that.
Normally, I listen to audio books for 30 minutes or so before I go to sleep, but occasionally, I get bored of the book I’m listening to or am not feeling it, and on those occasions, I dip into podcasts instead. So, in the last few weeks I’ve listened to two: one was about narcissism in the workplace (not always a bad thing, apparently), and the other was Stay Young by Michael Mosley (the bloke who is a big fan of fasting – fasting? What is this of which you speak?) The episode I listened to was about super-agers.
Michael Mosley characterised super-agers as people who like to do more than one thing at once (which is different from other definitions I’ve read). He described these individuals as people who might be learning a language, creating a new recipe, and picking up a craft skill all whilst sitting on an exercise bike.
He interviewed a bloke who is in the House of Lords, who is a super ager. I forget his name, but apparently, it’s not so much that he is endlessly learning new skills, rather that he relishes new opportunities and is very much curious about tackling them as they arise. And that he sees age as no barrier to continuing to throw himself into challenges.
And the good news is whilst some people are naturally more inclined to take on new activities or be curious about the world, taking an interest in new things and overcoming challenges can and should be embraced by anyone, at any age. And the act of doing this does ping new neural pathways. And when they get to their 80s, people who do this regularly – like the Lord mentioned above are classified super-agers and it seems have cognitive function similar to that of an average middle-aged person. And most super-agers also continue to be able to exercise, eat well and stay socially connected; a sort of virtuous circle.
There are of course, no guarantees in life and you can do all these things and more, and still get ill and like my mother, lose cognitive function as you age. Because genetics and luck (or bad luck) has to play a part too. So I suppose in the end, you have to do the best with what you have.
One phrase that jumped out at me when the Lord chap was talking was about ‘taming the rabbits’ in his head. Essentially, he has to occupy a part of his brain that gets bored or jumps about. I don’t think this is a super-ager thing, but goodness I do understand the need to keep a part of your brain occupied so the rest of the brain can get on with the important stuff.
Anyway, if you feel that you want to create the best environment for the possibility of super-aging, it seems you should try new things even if you’re not naturally inclined to and to keep on with them, even when you’re terrible at it. You should persist. Learn to juggle, for example. Join a Spanish class. You don’t have to be good at it. You just have to do it and then keep doing it. Keep learning and keep trying new things. And keep seeing failures as part of the challenge.
So, if you see me riding a unicycle near my house whilst listening to a Michael Thomas’ language course, and humming a piece of garage music (if such a thing is possible), think nothing of it. It’s just a bit of brain training.