In last week’s Friday Five, we talked about aging well. Today we look at aging well as it relates to our work.
While you likely realize that professional decline is inevitable, you probably think it’s a long way off. The unfortunate reality, according to Arthur Brooks, author of Strength to Strength:
“In practically every high-skill profession, decline sets in sometime between one’s late thirties and early fifties…and the more accomplished one is at the peak of one’s career, the more pronounced decline seems to be once it sets in” (2022).
In other words, the skills you worked so hard to attain and that make you successful in your field start to decline earlier than you likely expected. Ouch.
So, here’s the good news. You can accept that what got you to this point in your career is unlikely to be what will help you into the future, and you can pivot accordingly. New strengths and skills are needed in the second half of your life and career (Brooks, 2022).
In Strength to Strength, Arthur Brooks describes two different types of intelligence originally postulated by psychologist Raymond Cattell: fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence refers to the ability to reason, think flexibly, and problem-solve. Crystallized intelligence involves the recalling and using of pre-existing information; vocabulary and language are important for this type of intelligence as well (Perera, 2020). Brooks argues that if we want to be successful later in our careers, we need to utilize crystallized intelligence. Crystallized intelligence doesn’t decline until later in life, if at all. I suggest, working to repurpose your professional life with this in mind. (Hint: think mentoring, teaching, coaching)
So how can you age well at work? Daniel Levitin’s research on successful aging discussed in last week’s Friday Five highlights 5 more ways we can support our brains and the aging process:
1. Don’t retire. Dr. Levitin advises that we should not stop being engaged in meaningful work. Interestingly, in a 2007 study, a team of academic researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Princeton University analyzed data on more than a thousand elderly people. Their findings, published in the Journal of Gerontology, showed that senior citizens who never or rarely “felt useful” were nearly three times as likely as those who frequently felt useful to develop a mild disability and more than three times as likely to have died during the study (Brooks, 2022).
2. Look forward. Reminiscing doesn’t promote health. (Lawler, 2022).
3. Spend time with people younger than you. Arthur Brooks’ suggestion is to devote the back half of your life to serving others with your wisdom. Younger people can benefit from your experience. Age sharing the things you believe are most important.
4. Don’t think of yourself as old. This was my grandma’s approach to life. A good dose of denial and a refusal to tell anyone her age, including her doctor. She lived to 90.
5. Appreciate your cognitive strengths. As we age, we tend to become more articulate, with a richer vocabulary. This shows our strengths such as the ability to learn foreign languages, as we usually become better at combining, utilizing, and interpreting complex ideas (Brooks, 2022).
Take away: What are your unique strengths? Do they fall into the category of fluid or crystallized intelligence? If you are in the latter half of your career, how might you further develop your crystallized intelligence and pivot accordingly so that you can continue to engage in meaningful work in later life?
References
Brooks, A. (2022). Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/9780593191484-item.html?s_campaign=goo-PMaxSmartShop_Books_Hot_EN&gclid=CjwKCAiA7IGcBhA8EiwAFfUDsSHpHQ7e9xZDzjV45HPlm8Qr9MMhMJ81paIQlgxkERhol677YIxyzxoCuAAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Lawler, M. (2022). 5 ways nostalgia is good for your health (and when it’s not). Emotional Health. https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/ways-nostalgia-is-good-for-your-health-and-when-its-not/
Levitin, D. (2020). Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives. Penguin Canada.
Perera, A. (2020). Fluid vs crystallized intelligence. SimplyPsychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/fluid-crystallized-intelligence.html
Friday Five is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice and care. If you have mental health symptoms that are interfering with your life and wellness please speak to your family doctor and registered mental health therapist. You are worth taking care of!
