Why continue learning after 65 (and why the mature brain learns differently)

For a long time, the adult brain was thought to be a closed machine: we were born with the neurons we were going to have, and after a certain age, we could only lose them. The neuroscience of the last three decades has overturned that idea. Today we know that the human brain continues to form new connections throughout life. This capacity is called neuroplasticity, and it is some of the best news you can receive when you turn sixty-five.

What is neuroplasticity and why does it matter in maturity?

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to reorganize itself: to create new connections (synapses) and, in certain areas, even new neurons (neurogenesis). This capacity is maintained in maturity, although its character changes. The young brain learns fast but forgets just as easily. The mature brain learns more slowly, but consolidates better and connects the new with an enormous body of prior experience. That is why older adults are, in some types of learning, better than younger ones.

Cognitive reserve: the other key concept

There is a second concept worth keeping in mind: cognitive reserve. The idea, proposed by neuropsychologist Yaakov Stern, is that some older adults resist brain decline better —even when they have obvious lesions— thanks to a mental "cushion" built over a lifetime.

Three factors are especially protective against cognitive decline in old age:

• Life-long education and training. This does not refer to degrees: it refers to continuing to learn. Learning a language, reading demanding texts, engaging in serious debate.

• Active social bonds. Conversing requires processing language, modulating emotion, and anticipating the other person. It is some of the best mental exercise that exists.

• A life with purpose. Having active projects —not necessarily grand ones— is one of the factors that population studies most clearly associate with mental acuity.

Does any kind of learning work?

No. Crosswords and sudoku are entertainment, but their effect on overall cognitive health is modest. Three factors appear associated, in population studies, with better cognitive maintenance:

1. That they be challenging but not frustrating

The brain responds best to tasks that are one step above what you already know how to do. Too easy, and it doesn't stimulate. Too difficult, and it frustrates, leading to abandonment. That is why a good training plan for older adults is graduated: it starts with the accessible and raises the step gently.

2. That they connect with life

Learning a decontextualized skill (memorizing capitals, repeating times tables) is less effective than learning something that connects with your own story. Philosophy about the good life, the history of one's own country, the great human questions, are materials that have resonance with what has been lived.

3. That they are shared

Shared learning is radically more powerful than solitary learning. Talking about what has been learned, writing it down, debating it, consolidates what has just been acquired and, additionally, combats loneliness —one of the greatest threats to the cognitive health of older adults—.

Learning in maturity is neither an oddity nor a whim. It is one of the few things with a proven effect on health, mood, and the meaning of life.

Why a humanities journey meets all three conditions

The humanities —philosophy, history, art, literature, nature— are, surprisingly, some of the best materials for training the mature brain. They are demanding but accessible; they connect with one's own biography better than almost any other discipline; and they are easily shared in a group.

In Thenomba's Senior journey, the twelve stages combine precisely these three conditions. Each twenty-minute-a-day step goes one level above the previous, in a careful sequence. Each stage connects with the lived life of the NOMBA. And everything is discussed: with an ally, with other NOMBAs, in live meetings, and in one's own notebook.

What if I find it hard to start?

It is normal. Especially if you have not studied formally for years. Three practical tips:

• Twenty minutes, no more. The mature brain consolidates better with short, daily sessions than with long, spaced-out sessions.

• Write down what you understand and what you don't. Writing anchors memory. Not to turn in to anyone. For yourself.

• Sharing is half of learning. Talk about what you are reading with your partner, with a friend, with your grandchildren, with your community group. You will be surprised by how much more you remember.

Learning is not "no longer for you." It has probably never been as much for you as it is now.

Readings: Stern, Y. (2002). What is cognitive reserve? Theory and research application of the reserve concept. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. Eriksson, P. S. et al. (1998). Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampus. Nature Medicine.

Cover image generated with artificial intelligence.