Passing your 50th birthday triggers a burst of creativity, according to experts

Passing your 50th birthday triggers a burst of creativity, according to experts

Psychologist Lynn Hasher and her group at the University of Toronto have done multiple studies on aging and cognition, and her work suggest that the aging brain is characterized by a broadening focus of attention.

Broadening attention focus can often be seen as something negative, because people with this type of attention focus have a tendency to get easily distracted, as tests show is common in the ageing population. However, this can actually be a help with problem-solving and absorbing new information!

While we might forget where we put our keys or whether the neighbour’s name is Laura or Lily, after passing 50 the creative part of our brain makes a comeback!

People who took advantage of this ‘creative comeback’ and exploited the benefits of a broadening attention span are people like Frank Lloyd Wright, who completed the design of Guggenheim Museum in New York at 92. Giuseppe Verdi wrote Falstaff, his most famous opera, at the age of 85. Author Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote the American Classic “The Little House on the Prairie”, published her first novel when she was 65 years old. One of the biggest names in American folk art, Grandma Moss, didn’t pick up a paintbrush until she was well into her 80s!

In addition to the creative brain comeback, older adults feel less like they have a need to please and impress others, and are therefore more willing to speak their minds.

These two capabilities, combined with a lifetime of learning and experience, make seniors promising creative artists.

If you haven’t already, pick up a brush, a pen, or join an arts, crafts, or writing club, because you might be really talented in something you’ve never had time to try, and just not know it yet!

Read more on brainwired.com

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