Intelligence grows with age

You become more valuable after 50

Four suggestions for a longer life:

• #1: Recognize your Crystallized Intelligence increases with age
• #2: Shift from a 3-stage life mindset to multi-stage mindset
• #3: Push out your Healthspan curve
• #4: Have an Action Plan for after 50
• Download the PDF 

Introduction: 50 has become the halfway point

Data shows the second half of our lives now begins at 50. This blog is a call to action that we need to plan on longer lives. I believe the second half should be the best half.

Call to Action: You need to plan for a longer life

Here’s a prediction: You will live longer than you think today.

Did you know fifty percent of babies born in the US in 2007 are predicted to live to 104? It’s 107 in Japan. That’s according to the data in The 100-Year Life, by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott.[1] Looking at mortality tables, improvements in healthcare, new opportunities for people over 50, and knowing I have control over my Well-Being, I figure I have a decent shot at making it to a healthy 100. If not me, then certainly my kids have that possibility. Either way, 50 has become the halfway point of our lives.

How you digest the notion that 50 is the halfway point of your life hugely affects your Well-Being, today and in the future. How should you structure your longer life? How will you structure your time? Where do you go from here?

Jim Collins, in the Foreword to Halftime, says “the old model of arduous career followed by relaxing retirement should be jettisoned, replaced by the idea that the second half can – and should – be more creative, more impactful, more meaningful, more adventurous, and filled with more learning and contribution than the first half. A successful first fifty years should be viewed as nothing more than a good start.”[2] I couldn’t agree more.

Life Expectancy

Source: The 100 Year Life [3]

Notes:

[1] Gratton, Lynda and Scott, Andrew (2016). The 100-Year Life. London: Bloomsbury. See also MIT Sloan Review: The Corporate Implications of Longer Lives: MIT Sloan Management Review

[2] Buford, Bob (2015). Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance. Grand Rapids: Zondervan

[3] Graphic from: https://www.100yearlife.com/

#1: Recognize your value increases after 50

Audacious point, I know. But you become more valuable after 50.  

Okay, I get it. We experience some mental degradation as we age. Analysis, creativity, and ability to multitask are all more difficult. In From Strength to Strength, Arthur C. Brooks, makes the point “when it comes to the enviable skills that you worked so hard to attain and that made you successful in your field, you can expect significant decline to come as soon as your thirties, or as late as your early fifties.”[4] Ouch. I know that hurts.

Professional athletes are an obvious case in point. Their careers are typically finished by their early 30s, if not a lot earlier. And decline happens across almost all careers and professions. But, as Brooks says, you have three options: keep fighting the losing battle of staying competitive, do nothing and give in to decline, or accept that you need to build new strengths and skills.

Here’s the good news! Plenty of studies demonstrate that crucial skills improve with age. As people grow old, they are more articulate, have better vocabularies, stronger abilities to synthesize complex concepts, interpreting ideas, and expressing solutions. No wonder so many leaders and CEOs tend to be older people.

Two types of intelligence

In 1963, Raymond Cattell[5] postulated there are two types of intelligence that vary based on our age. He introduced the concepts of a Fluid Intelligence curve and a Crystallized Intelligence curve.[6] Here are simplified definitions:

• Fluid Intelligence – It peaks in our early adulthood, and then declines. It refers to the ability to reason quickly and think abstractly.
• Crystallized Intelligence – It increases with age and experience. It refers to knowledge, skills, and wisdom accumulated over time.

As a man over 50, this is important information for the second half of your life. Even though you may have peaked in your traditional career (as your fluid intelligence declines), you can absolutely reposition your current career, or start a new one, to leverage your growing crystallized intelligence. The idea is to transition from one curve (Fluid Intelligence) to the other curve (Crystallized Intelligence) as you age.

 Fluid Intelligence vs Crystallized Intelligence

Source: Willis et al; University of Michigan [7]

Here’s my suggestion for men over 50: think of yourself as an appreciating asset. Because of your growing crystallized intelligence, you become more valuable. Sure, it’s likely you won’t have the glory like before, but with greater wisdom comes growing desire to guide others, and less desire to be the hero. Simply put, training heroes becomes more meaningful than striving to be the hero. Older people are wiser, better at synthesizing information, more prudent with decision making, and experience less emotional volatility.

Most men over 50, in my view, miss the point that they bring more value to life after 50. There are endless ways to deploy your experience, perspective, judgement, temperament, and character in older age. You are in control of how your mindset harnesses these traits as you age. There is an abundance of opportunities to be positively engaged after 50, for the rest of your life.

Finding Meaning After 50

Source: Pavlina Academy

Notes:

 [4] Brooks, Arthur C. (2022). From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. New York: Penguin Random House

 [5] Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Cattell

 [6] Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_and_crystallized_intelligence

 [7] Graphic from: Willis, Robert J. et al (2014). University of Michigan, NBER, RAND: https://ebp-projects.isr.umich.edu/P01/papers/Willis2014.pdf

#2: Shift from a 3-stage life mindset to a multi-stage life mindset

You likely grew up with a three-stage view of life: first, get an education, then work in some career, and then retire. However, if life expectancy increases and retirement age remains fixed, the problem is you are likely to get bored or run out of money before you die. The solution: don’t retire. Shift your mindset from a 3-stage life to a multi-stage life.

Source: Pavlina Academy

The old, 3-stage model is outdated. The new, multi-stage model is more like a portfolio approach – multiple sources of income generation, multiple activities, multiple hobbies, many ways to find meaning and express your purpose. The pace of change continues to increase; these days it makes more sense to consider yourself a participant in the gig economy – a life characterized by short-term contracts, freelance opportunities, advising roles, volunteer work, and other ways to express your crystallized intelligence, as opposed to permanent employment with one company. Think more nonlinear versus linear.

So many men head into retirement with only a vague idea of how they will spend their time when, in fact, the most important task is to continually cultivate your Well-Being, so you are able to transition your mindset to a multi-stage life. Think of aging as a climb to new, more interesting pinnacles rather than the end of the road.

Source: MIT Sloan Review [8]

Notes:

[8] Graphic from MIT Sloan Review: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-corporate-implications-of-longer-lives/

#3: Push out your Healthspan curve

Living longer means a longer lifespan. But what good is a long life if you are not healthy? The solution is to push out your healthspan curve of life. To live a healthier long life.

Source: Peter Attia [9]

My mother passed away in 2022 after 88 years. Not bad but the quality of her life suffered for many years with a very sedentary lifestyle. My 90-year-old dad, on the other hand, has always been very active. He still gets up early to be at the YMCA when it opens in the morning. We are living longer. But not all of us are healthier longer.

Some men give up. They stop learning, stop making new friends, drink too much, etc. Studies of retired people have shown, long periods of inactivity are associated with cognitive deterioration and reduced life satisfaction. But if properly planned, a long life is not a curse. You have a lot more control over your healthspan than you think.

So how do you stay healthier longer? Focus on the Nine Pillars of Well-Being. The key is to focus on the three dimensions of Well-Being: Driven Purpose, Healthy Brain, and Fit Body. You are in control of your healthspan curve. Yes, you have less energy and strength than before, but if you actively manage your Nine Pillars, and particularly, exercise regularly, don’t smoke, don’t overdrink, and control your weight you will push out your healthspan curve.

Notes:

[9] Graphic from Peter Attia, MD’s blog: https://peterattiamd.com/move-defines-live/

#4: Your Action Plan after 50

Seriously ponder the notion that you have another 30 years of active life ahead of you (assuming you are 60 today). Yes, “active” until 90. So now what? You have 30 years ahead of you. Yes, you have less energy, less strength, and slower mental speed than before, but you are likely smarter, wiser, better at making decisions, less stressed out, and more balanced emotionally than ever before.

Know what you can control (e.g., thoughts, emotions) and what you can’t control (e.g., your age, physical speed). Let things go. It’s never too late to make healthy changes. You can improve yourself at any age.

Here are some observations I’ve made after talking to many men over 50:

• Be yourself:
  • This is your life. You don’t need permission from anyone.
  • Be you. Do what you want, what you value, what you stand for.
  • You don’t need to impress anyone any longer. Let go of success addiction.  
  • Do what makes you happy, not what is popular. Do fun things.
  • You will be happier if you do what makes you happy.
  • Push yourself outside your comfort zone.
  • Don’t be afraid. Do something bold, brave, scary, risky, challenging, or difficult. Reinvent yourself.
  • Start something new. Be an entrepreneur. If it doesn’t work out, screw it, try something else.
  • You will gain satisfaction knowing you challenged yourself, even if it doesn’t work out.
• Don’t retire:
  • Keep working into your 70s and 80s, even if it’s just part time.
  • A 95-year-old friend of mine passed away this year (2022). He was working up until 6 months before he passed.
  • Learn new skills and new technologies, move to a new place.
  • Use leisure time to invest in a new career.
  • Change careers to recharge your motivation. Having multiple careers can be energizing.
  • Transitions are normal, change is a part of life.
• Revitalize your relationships:
  • Let go of bad relationships, start new ones, widen and refresh your social circle.
  • Open up to friends you love or trust, sharing your deepest thoughts and emotions.
  • Cultivate friendships across all age groups, especially those who pursue similar interests as yours.
  • Spend time with younger people. They are a great source of education and can benefit enormously from your experience.
• Be vulnerable:
  • Be honest and humble about your weaknesses. Your weaknesses become your strengths.
  • Being vulnerable makes it easier for people to connect with you.
  • Where you suffer, accept it as your task. Find meaning in suffering. Remember that everyone suffers.

• From this blog:
  • Implication #1: Recognize your value increases after 50
  • Implication #2: Shift from a 3-stage life mindset to a multi-stage life mindset
  • Implication #3: Push out your healthspan curve

• From Bronnie Ware, author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying:[10]
  • I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
  • I wish I hadn’t worked so hard
  • I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings
  • I wish I’d stayed in touch with my friends
  • I wish I had let myself be happier

• From Daniel J. Levitin, the author of Successful Aging:[11] From the appendix: Rejuvenating Your Brain:
  1. Don’t retire. Don’t stop being engaged in meaningful work.
  2. Look forward. Don’t look back. (Reminiscing doesn’t promote health)
  3. Get your heart rate going. Preferably in nature.
  4. Embrace a moderated lifestyle with healthy practices.
  5. Keep your social circle exciting and new.
  6. Spend time with people younger than you.
  7. See your doctor regularly, but not obsessively.
  8. Don’t think of yourself as old (other than taking prudent precautions).
  9. Appreciate your cognitive strengths – pattern recognition, crystallized intelligence, wisdom, accumulated knowledge.
  10. Promote cognitive health through experiential learning: traveling, spending time with grandchildren, and immersing yourself in new activities and situations. Do new things.

Notes:

[10] Ware, Bronnie (2019). The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. New York City: Hay House

[11] Levitin, Daniel J. (2020). Successful Aging. New York: Dutton-Penguin Random House. From the appendix (Rejuvenating Your Brain)

Conclusion

You will likely live longer than you expect. The good news is you are more valuable with age. You need to shift your mindset from a 3-stage life to a multi-stage life and work on pushing out your healthspan curve. You can do this by actively managing the Nine Pillars of your Well-Being.

Source: Erman Misirlisoy-Substack [12]

Notes:

[12] Graphic from Erman Misirlisoy. See: https://erman.substack.com/p/-the-anti-aging-effects-of-happiness