Tag: growth-mindset

Ages and Stages

Austrian novelist Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach defined aging: “In youth we learn; in age we understand.” I am rethinking what age means on my birthday.

We know 4 aging stages of monarch butterflies: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult. This amazing metamorphosis includes caterpillars whizzing through 5 growth spurts, molting skin each time! This reminds me of adolescents making change after change with dizzying speed.

Research from University of Cambridge suggests that adolescence lasts longer than you ever thought. Dr Alexa Mousley and her colleagues found that the brain stays in the adolescent stage until the early 30’s. Key maturation is determined to end around age 32. Studying nearly 4000 individuals’ MRI scans (ages 0-90 years), the researchers concluded that there are 4 pivotal ages for brain turning points or major changes: 9, 32, 66, and 83.

  •  Childhood — Birth to age 9: Brains undergo network consolidation with the most active synapses preserved from a whittling-down process. There is a major boost in cognitive capacity, but also a risk of mental health challenges.
  •  Adolescence – Ages 9 to 32: Brains’ largest directional changes have an efficiency of connections within specific brain regions. There is rapid communication across the whole brain which relates to enhanced cognitive performance. However, this timeframe poses the greatest risk for mental health disorders. Many individuals initiate substance use in this stage. Repeated drug exposure can significantly alter brain development, especially relating to the ways reward and control circuits are wired. A drug habit may become almost automatic, leading to a reduction in prefrontal problem-solving which has many consequences.
  •  Adulthood – Ages 32 to 66: A “plateau in intelligence and personality” (based upon other research) was sustained in this research. Brain functioning appears relatively stable.
  •  Early aging – Ages 66 to 83: A mild and gradual reorganization of brain networks culminates in the mid-60’s, although a variety of health conditions (hypertension or diabetes, for example) may emerge; health issues can place an individual at risk for cognitive decline.
  •  Late aging – Age 83+: Whole brain connectivity reduces and there is more reliance on specific brain regions. However, this participant group was smaller than the other stages studied and merits more study.

The researchers admit their participants were controlled for “healthy” folks. Trauma affects brain ages/stages. An estimated 6 in 10 U.S. adults have experienced trauma (with higher numbers among women than men). Rates for children and adolescents are higher: according to the National Library of Medicine, about 2 out of 3 U.S. individuals experience trauma by age 16. This rate is likely higher among youth in violent war areas around the globe. We need a planetary plan for addressing trauma.  

How do butterflies deal with trauma? According to the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, butterfly wings are larger than needed for flying. Butterflies can fly with half of their wings missing. My translation for “youth” at any age: keep flying (learning)!

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

460. What does your age mean to you?

461. What health-proofing practices do you use?  

Growth Pearls

The Pew Research Center issued a December report (2023) showing 19% of Americans ages 65+ are in the workforce, either by choice or necessity. This number doubled in the past 35 years, partly due to older adults maintaining good bodymind health. Many more in this labor group have a college degree than decades ago. Also, work conditions have changed; office jobs are overtaking the physical labor necessary in factories and farms.

You may ask, “What motivates those who choose to continue working?” Answers range from being bored with golf or pickleball to the desire for a sense of purpose. Jane Goodall (89 years-young) continues her ecology-motivated passion for chimpanzees as well as her initiative to teach youth about conservation. Her legacy Roots & Shoots youth movement, beginning with 12 teenagers on her back porch in Tanzania, now offers programming in 100 countries. Working actresses Judi Dench (88 years-young) and Helen Mirren (78 years-young) also love their careers and defy sexist stereotypes for female actors.

Many everyday seasoned citizens return to the workforce after “retirement age.” A spunky teacher in her 60’s returned to the classroom as a substitute teacher at a private school where she puts in an 8-hour day instead of the 16-hour days that she frequently found herself working in a public high school. Her reason for a continuation of her career reflects my own reason for my current work in prevention psychology: “It’s fun, and it keeps my brain going.” I am a strong proponent of maintaining a growth mindset for every age, but it is especially important for those of us who are lucky enough to reach the seasoned citizen stage of development.

The research of psychologist Carol Dweck (Mindset: The New Psychology of Success) defines two mindsets:

  • Fixed mindset: You believe your qualities are set in neurological and psychological plaster—you have a fixed IQ, a set personality, and a certain moral character that defines you. A fixed mindset is a learned behavior.
  • Growth mindset: You believe that you are capable of continuing growth. Your personality is flexible. It has plasticity. You cultivate new qualities through your efforts. You can adjust your moral compass with your life wisdom. Your true potential is unknown.

I am not suggesting that aging into 65+ territory is easy, even for those with a growth mentality for lifelong learning. I believe that it takes a growth-and-grit mindset in your beyonder years. Psychologist Angela Duckworth (Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance) researched the importance of grit or what my parents called “stick-to-itiveness.” Duckworth’s father taught her about the value of “pushing through and doing the hard things.”

I watched the enduring persistence of the first flower pushing through snow in my garden; the Lenten Rose inspires me to make a growth-and-grit mindset my everyday compass.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

273. When do you respond to life’s challenges with a fixed mindset?

274. What times can you recall when you were in growth mindset territory?