Gema Climent (Sagunto, 1971) is a neuropsychologist and forensic psychologist and is also dedicated to scientific dissemination. In 2008 she founded Nesplora, a company specialized in incorporating the latest technology advances into mental health. She has worked with virtual reality to create neuropsychological tests and treatments in active distraction and bullying prevention. This has earned him several recognitions. In 2018 she was chosen by Forbes magazine as one of the 50 most influential women in the field of technology in Europe and was placed in the top 100 leading women in Spain in innovation.
He has just published Journey to your brain. Key factors and challenges of cognitive health in midlife (Sinequanon), where he talks about the challenges, advantages and disadvantages of brain aging after 50, a stage he refers to as “midlife” .
Why explore this particular topic?
Because not much is said about cognitive diversity in the healthy brain during middle age. It is a strange stage, in which we begin to realize many things, especially if we have not slept or if we work a lot. But it is a very particular phase that we should not see as a decline, but as growth. There are negative changes, of course, but there are also some positive changes that I think are important to highlight and that we must understand better to be able to make the most of this phase, because it is a splendorous, very beautiful time. It is important to demystify it and stop seeing it in such a negative light. Middle age brings with it great benefits if we know how to channel them.
Generally, after 50 we only talk about cognitive decline and pathologies.
Because a lot of research has been done on cognitive pathologies, but few people investigate the normal brain of healthy people. Furthermore, normality is a concept that changes over time. And thank goodness, because there are things that a long time ago were not considered normal or were not accepted and now they are. What could have been a pathology before is not so now. We have to see this time not as a decline, but as a growth.
Give me a summary of your findings and then we’ll dig a little deeper.
In the book I explain how at this stage we acquire a greater capacity for abstraction, to see things from a more general and holistic level. I also delve into the advantages of the increase in emotional control and social skills that occur in these decades. And I address declines in processing speed, memory, and multitasking attention. The key is to find a balance, taking advantage of the positive and compensating for the negative.
Let’s delve a little into those changes. What negative cognitive aspects are experienced in middle age?
We lose processing speed, memory, and attention, making complex tasks and tasks that require multitasking difficult. But this is normal and expected, just like a 20-year-old athlete runs faster and has more physical strength than I do at 50 years old. The same thing happens in the brain with fluid cognitive abilities such as mental processing speed. We also tend to be more mentally rigid, less flexible, and more comfortable on familiar ground, which can lead to biases and difficulty adapting to new situations if we are not careful. Cognitive flexibility is key to staying agile and open to change.
Anything else? And then let’s get to the positive.
Another negative aspect is that we tend to have more problems with working memory, that ability to maintain and manipulate information in our mind for short periods. This impacts our ability to multitask. We’re also more prone to the “tip of the tongue” phenomenon, those momentary blocks to remembering a specific word that we’ve all experienced.
Now that you mention it: Why does this momentary forgetting of words occur more as we age?
In the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, we know that we know that word, but we cannot retrieve it at that moment. It usually comes back after a while, when we stop forcing its memory. It is annoying, but normal with age and may be due to a combination of factors: greater vocabulary and knowledge accumulated throughout life, slower processing speed to access that information quickly, and problems with temporary storage of information. in working memory. But it is not necessarily something worrying if it is occasional. It would be if it is repeated very frequently and you cannot access basic vocabulary, which could indicate a more serious problem of anomia or cognitive impairment. But in general, it is a fairly common phenomenon that should not worry us too much.
And what positive aspects would you highlight about this stage of life from a cognitive point of view?
We have a greater capacity to postpone rewards, plan for the long term and accept negative reinforcement in projects, which is very valuable in the work and personal spheres. This ability to have future goals and persevere despite obstacles is key to success. We are also more socially skilled and manage emotions better, as evidenced by statistics of aggressive and impulsive behaviors that decrease with age. Our emotional control and emotional intelligence increase significantly.
I’m starting to like this more. Are there more advantages?
We are also better able to see the big picture and relate the concrete to the abstract, something that is associated with wisdom and that is only achieved with the accumulation of experiences over the years. This capacity for abstraction and having a more holistic vision allows us to make better decisions, as long as we keep an open mind and do not get bogged down in fixed ideas. The balance between wisdom and flexibility is key. Another advantage is that we tend to have a larger vocabulary and broader general knowledge than when we were young. This gives us a stronger foundation to continue learning and making connections between ideas.
In the workplace, turning 50 can sometimes be a sentence. How can we take advantage of these positive aspects in this area?
A middle-aged professional with vast experience can be an important asset at work, even more so than a young one. Unfortunately, sometimes there is ageism and we are considered not very adaptable to new technologies, when we have been constantly adapting throughout our lives to different changes and advances. This closed mindset is a waste of talent. The combination of wisdom, strategic vision, emotional management and the ability to see the complete picture that we acquire with age, makes us very valuable employees and leaders if we are given the opportunity. We can provide much more than just technical knowledge. Our planning, problem-solving, mentoring and decision-making skills can hardly be matched by younger professionals. In roles that require relating to others, dealing with ambiguous situations or managing stress, middle-aged workers also tend to have an advantage due to our better emotional control. We are more empathetic, patient and equanimous.
From your experience, what strategies do you recommend to maintain a healthy and active brain in middle age?
It is important to be proactive. We can relearn or unlearn things to relearn them, which stimulates the brain and keeps it plastic. Socializing and staying mentally active, rather than just passively consuming information, is also key. Activities such as learning a new language, playing an instrument, resuming old hobbies or even seemingly simple activities such as rapping can be very beneficial. But in addition to learning new things, it is important to continue practicing and using our previous knowledge and skills. Don’t stop reading, writing, doing mental calculations, etc. That is a common mistake, believing that only new things stimulate the brain when in reality we need a combination of new challenges and the maintenance of already acquired skills.
Is exercise good for cognitive health too?
Yes, I recommend doing regular physical exercise, eating a healthy diet, maintaining good rest, and maintaining an active lifestyle in general. The brain does not function in isolation, so its health depends on our overall well-being. Another very powerful strategy to be healthy from a cognitive point of view is to continue exposing ourselves to new experiences, travel, meet different people, get out of our comfort zone. This forces us to adapt and stimulates brain plasticity. Cognitive flexibility is key to optimal cognitive aging.
We older people complain that younger generations are losing skills due to the omnipresence of technology. Do you share this concern?
Not much. They won’t miss the same thing we do, just as I don’t miss not having left my town when I was young. Each generation lives its reality and adapts to it. The important thing is to study the long-term effects of using technology instead of speculating. I trust that young people will solve challenges such as technological addictions better than us. Yes, I think we should be alert to possible problems such as lack of face-to-face social skills, difficulties with sustained attention, overstimulation due to the constant bombardment of information, etc. But I also see many cognitive benefits of technological use, such as greater exposure to diversity of knowledge, ease of accessing information, development of new forms of intelligence, etc. The key is to find a healthy balance and not get completely absorbed in the virtual, while maintaining an active lifestyle and meaningful face-to-face social interactions. Technology is a powerful tool that, when used well, can be very valuable.
Let’s talk about the future of longevity and aging in our society. What challenges and opportunities do you see?
We live in a privileged area where the culture promotes longevity as something positive, against ageism. But we must organize ourselves better to take advantage of the wisdom of the elderly and combine their brains with those of the young. Both have a lot to contribute. It’s a shame when I see signs of disrespect towards older people who could teach us so much.
We will also have to rethink work concepts, since a 65-year-old professional today is very different from one of that age 40 years ago, with a healthier brain, according to recent studies. We will have to redefine ourselves and adapt to these new realities of successful aging.
On the other hand, with advances in neuroscience, technology and medicine, it is possible that in the future we can delay and even reverse some of the cognitive declines associated with aging. Techniques such as non-invasive brain stimulation, neuroregeneration using stem cells, brain-machine interfaces, etc. They open up a world of exciting possibilities. The challenge will be to make these innovations available in an accessible and equitable way for the entire population. Society will also have to be educated to change the negative view towards old age and see it as another stage of life with its own strengths and opportunities. Overall, I see a very promising future if we can harness the benefits of population aging instead of seeing it as a burden. Healthy, active older people with their wisdom harnessed can be an engine of social, cultural and economic progress.
