In the prime of our youth, we humans
are at the peak of our abilities both mentally and physically. We are at our
strongest when we are of a fairly young age; however, that strength begins to
fade away as we get older. The aging process slowly strips us of our abilities
and takes us down a notch over time. A prime example of this idea is seen in
the sporting world. In sports such as basketball and football, certain athletes
in their prime are designated as being the top player at their position. A few
years after they are past their prime, these same athletes are no longer
heralded as the best; instead, they have passed the torch down to their younger
peers. These younger athletes are the new elite players of the sport, while the
older veterans are a shell of their past selves. Both physically and mentally
the older athletes have lost a step and are unable to process the sport as well
as they used to. These athletes illustrate the idea that the process of aging
negatively affects our abilities both physically and mentally.
Weisenbach and her colleagues wanted
to gain a better understanding as to specifically how the aging process affects
the cognitive abilities of human beings. Their research also focused on the
effects of disease on cognitive skills, narrowing in specifically on bipolar
disease. Previous research had shown that both aging and disease lowered an
individual’s cognitive abilities such as psychomotor speed, attention,
executive functions, memory, and motor skills. Based off this past research, Weisenbach
hypothesized that older individuals would exhibit poorer cognitive abilities while
younger individuals would exhibit higher performance levels. The participants
of the study were split up into two age groups, one group of participants 30 or
younger and another group of participants aged 50-65, and asked to perform
various cognitive tasks. As expected, the older participants of the group
performed worse in cognitive tasks than the younger participants, thereby illustrating
the idea that aging impairs an individual’s cognition.
The process of aging is irreversible;
there is no known way to get younger or regain our youth. This also implies that,
as we age, our cognitive skills continue to disappear and erode. However, there
may be ways by which we can avoid the loss of our cognitive abilities while we
age. Allerhand and his colleagues were concerned with inhibiting the loss of cognitive
skills through aging and focused on the idea of psychological well-being.
Maintaining a positive psychological well-being is associated with “healthy
aging” according to past research shown in Allerhand’s study. However, what is
unclear is how having a positive well-being affects cognition, a crucial
component of aging as already discussed. According to Allerhand, higher levels
of positive well-being are associated with reduced neuroendocrine activity,
lower concentrations of inflammatory factors, higher concentrations of HDL
cholesterol, and lower blood pressure. All of these factors that are in
relationships with higher levels of positive well-being are also indicators of
good health, especially in older individuals.
Participants
in Allerhand’s study were chosen from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging
(ELSA), a longitudinal study of adults aged 50 or more. Cognition and positive well-being
of the participants were measured through surveys and interviews. The results
indicated that cognitive function is significantly associated with positive
well-being; however, the associations were small in strength. This indicates
that, though aging is an irreversible process, the consequences that come with old
age are not necessarily ensured to come with it. With the right mindset,
anybody can fight off the negative aspects of old age and maintain the same
cognitive strength as when they were in the prime of their youth.
Weisenbach, S.
L., Marshall, D., Weldon, A. L., Ryan, K. A., Vederman, A. C., Kamali, M.,
Zubieta, J., McInnis, M. G., & Langenecker, S. A. (2014). The double burden
of age and disease on cognition and quality of life in bipolar disorder. International Journal of Geriatric
Psychiatry, 29. p. 952-961. doi: 10.1002/gps.4084
Allerhand, M.,
Gale, C. R., & Deary, I. J. (2014). The dynamic relationship between
cognitive function and positive well-being in older people: a prospective study
using the English longitudinal study of aging. Psychology and Aging, 29. p. 306-318. doi: 10.1037/a0036551
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