The Wisdom Paradox: Can We Get Smarter?

In 2006 author Elkhonon Goldberg wrote Wisdom Paradox, a book about how our minds can grow stronger as our brains grow older. I was unaware of the book until a few readers mentioned in in comments about an earlier post. Since then I have read Mr. Goldberg's work and found a lot to think about.

Wisdom Paradox is not a simple read. The author spends a good portion of the book on very detailed aspects of how our brain works, the interplay between the left and right hemispheres and what happens in all that grey matter as we age. Frankly, when his descriptions became better suited for a med student I skimmed those pages. But, there was plenty left to raise questions about some assumptions most of us make: that our mind goes into an inevitable decline as we get older. We lose memory function, we are vulnerable to dementia and Alzheimer's, and we become unable to learn new things.

Mr. Goldberg does his best to cast serious doubt on those contentions.  He leaves the reader feeling a new sense of hope and excitement about the future. Old age doesn't have to equal decay and loss. The mind has every possibility of becoming stronger and remaining vital. But, importantly, it changes how it does what it does.

To set the stage, here are several direct quotes from Wisdom Paradox:


"I wage a never ending war on stasis (def. standing still)

A life too settled is no longer a life but an afterlife

A mind isn't necessarily weaker or strongest than when we were younger..it is just different

We have an increasingly strong feeling that life is a feast, not a struggle.

Life is not a one way street of decay.

The aging of the mind has its own triumphs that only age can bring

Being at peace with oneself is an attribute of normal aging,geriatric depression is not."


I feel better already! Mr. Goldberg states that there are undeniable negative changes that occur in the brain as we age. Importantly, they can be balanced with increased competence and wisdom. Our memory and mental focus decline with age. That is true. But, it is also quite normal for our wisdom and competence to grow.

How? Our brain is used differently. He says, "The right hemisphere is more important in our youth but as we age the left hemisphere dominates. That is the side of the brain that builds upon experiences and patterns and allows us to more quickly come to conclusions and decisions, to possess wisdom. The left hemisphere also activates during positive emotions and it withstands the decay of age much better than the right hemisphere." 

The key to making the most of this shift in which side of our brain is more dominant is to engage in vigorous mental activity. Mr. Goldberg's studies shows such use does change the brain in positive ways by increasing the number of new neurons in certain areas of the brain. We have been lead to believe that our neurons are dying off by the millions, only to be replaced by...nothing. Not true. Rather, we form new neural pathways our entire lifetime. 

To scientists a startling fact is emerging: lifelong mental activities is sufficient to counteract the effects of an brain condition where dementia became evident. That is great news. While not true in all cases, many of us have the ability to delay or defeat the obvious effects of dementia.

An active mind?

His conclusion is simple: regardless of our age, we must continue to test our mind and strive for new mental challenges. Our brains get older, but our abilities to make the most of our accumulated wisdom and experiences get stronger. It is up to us to take advantage of that fact. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" isn't true for pets or people.

You don't have to learn a new language, re-build a '57 Chevy, or write the great American novel for this to work. Changing simple daily routines is enough to start your new neurons firing. Read an hour a day instead of watching TV, go for a walk around your neighborhood and take note of front yards you've never noticed before. Your mind is built for change, any change.

As the author says, "a mental comfort zone is a mental stagnation zone." If we don't continually learn and try new things, we have missed a built-in system designed to keep us mentally on top of our game.

This is rather exciting news!