Surprise — Our Genetic Makeup Aids Our Memory!
We all seem to feel as we blow out another candle on the proverbial birthday cake that those moments of thinking we’ve “lost it” are going to keep gaining momentum.  I recently read an interesting article in the WSJ authored by Alison Gopnik that refutes that way of thinking!
Research has been done among people in Western Societies that prove that somehow we are genetically wired to keep us sharp into our later years. Gopnik maintains that we live longer for a reason. One of the purposes of our ability to live so long is that we need to pass on our wisdom  and all the knowledge we have acquired through our lives to future generations!
The research has focused on urban areas and points out that our memory changes as we grow older but not necessarily in a negative way.  The ability to retain short term memory and the ability to process new information quickly is referred to as “fluid intelligence.”  This form of memory does not stay with us as we age.  The other type of memory which they call ” crystallized intelligence” is what stays with us.  This type of intelligence encompasses how much knowledge we actually have stored and the ability to get to it.  It may peak at mid life, but slows down much more slowly – if at all!
This is why I may have forgotten where I ate last Friday, but can recall vividly things that happened in grade school!!
Good news for all of growing older with verve and intention of living life to the fullest!