Over several years, I have done innovation work with top scientists on healthy ageing. Rather overwhelmed with all the info thrown at us, I asked one, an American professor, for the essence of it all. “Eat more fruit and vegetables and take more exercise,” he said.
That's it, apparently.
A lady in her 80s followed up by asking: “If I choose between doing the Times crossword and taking a walk, which is better for me?” He responded: "Get out the door. Every time."
Now a new book* by Barbara Strauch, based on a number of recent studies, goes further. She reveals that as we grow older the brain improves in several ways, becoming better equipped to deal with the important issues and better able to use more of the brain’s power to solve problems.
This is radical stuff in a world that has assumed up to now that creativity is the birthright of the young.
Hope for us all.
*Barbara Strauch, The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain: Discover the Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind, Penguin £9.99
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