Brain Decline Begins At Age 27

krou writes "The BBC is reporting that a new study suggests that our mental abilities start to dwindle at 27 after peaking at 22, and 27 could be seen as the 'start of old age.' The seven-year study, by Professor Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia, looked at 2,000 healthy people aged 18-60, and used a number of mental agility tests already used to spot signs of dementia. 'The first age at which there was any marked decline was at 27 in tests of brain speed, reasoning and visual puzzle-solving ability. Things like memory stayed intact until the age of 37, on average, while abilities based on accumulated knowledge, such as performance on tests of vocabulary or general information, increased until the age of 60.'"

Comments

This would have been first post

[MadMidnightBomber]

but I'm 31, not 22.

says the 60-something year old...

[ecklesweb]

[sarcasm]
Yeah, like I'm going to pay any attention to a study by a guy who got his Ph.D. in 1974 whose brain has therefore been declining for at least 35 years...
[/sarcasm]

Re:Noooooo!

[interkin3tic]

You think you have it bad, I'm 27. I was going to say something like "wooo! That means I'm at my peak." Then I realized that it said, right there, that 22 was the peak. Also I'm wearing my Mr Rogers cardigan, I told myself I was wearing it ironically, but now I see that for the lie it is. So enjoy these last few months when you can finish the summary before jumping to conclusions and can actually wear old person clothes ironically.

Re:Peaking at 22

[bretticus]

Well I feel like an idiot everyday of med school, so I am inclined to disagree.

Re:Confounding Variable

[bitt3n]

intelligence is like pornography:

• it's hard to define what it is
• it's easy to identify when you see it
• it perpetually frustrates organized religion