Viswanathan Anand may not be well known to most people, but to chess fans he is a household name. The former world champion has had a steady presence in the Top 20 rankings for more than twenty years. Anand, now 54 years old, is currently number 11 in the world.
In a sport like chess, which requires not only an excellent memory and deep calculations, but also a constant ability to learn new things and adapt, this is an astonishing achievement. You could say that Anand is a phenomenon, but there could also be something else going on: the cognitive gap between the older and younger generations is closing.
Older, healthier and sharper
The world is witnessing a profound demographic shift. While global mortality rates are declining, the population of older adults (65 years and older) is increasing significantly. Historically, longer lifespans have been driven by a decline in infant mortality, but today the driving force is reduced mortality among older adults. This shift necessitates a closer look at the cognitive skills of the aging population and how they develop over time.
A recent meta-analysis by Stephen P. Badham of Nottingham Trent University, published in Development overview, presents compelling evidence that older adults today are more cognitively capable than their predecessors. This improvement in cognitive function is not just a small trend; it is a big change with profound consequences.
The research is roughly divided into three parts. The first study analyzed longitudinal data, comparing the cognitive skills of different cohorts of older adults over time. The results showed that later recruited waves of older adults showed better cognitive performance than earlier recruited waves. This improvement was consistent across several cognitive measures, including memory, verbal fluency and cognitive speed.
The second study focused on age-related cognitive differences between young and older adults. This showed that the cognitive deficits traditionally associated with aging are decreasing. In other words, the mental advantage of young people over older adults is not as pronounced as before, indicating that older adults are not only maintaining but also improving their cognitive functions.
The third analyzed data from a single laboratory and found that improvements in older adults’ cognitive skills were mainly driven by improvements over time in older groups, while young adults’ cognitive performance remained relatively stable.
Associate Professor Stephen Badham said: “Much existing research shows that IQ has improved globally over the past twenty yearse century. This means that later-born generations are more cognitively capable than those born earlier.
“However, there is increasing evidence that the time-based increase in IQ is leveling off, such that young adults in recent decades are no more cognitively capable than those born recently. As a result, current data show that young adults’ advantages over older adults in cognition, such as memory ability and processing speed, diminish over time. This means that when we compare young and older adults today, the gap is smaller than in the past.
“Therefore, the decline that an individual would expect to experience as they age is smaller than originally thought. In other words, we can expect to be more cognitively capable than our grandparents were when we reached their age.”
Why this happens
There are several reasons for this change, the researchers say. Education is likely the first, as educational opportunities have expanded significantly in recent decades, giving older adults a stronger cognitive foundation. Better nutrition and a healthier lifestyle are also key factors. A diet rich in essential nutrients, combined with regular physical activity, supports brain health and cognitive function.
Another contributing factor is cognitive stimulation. Greater access to cognitive stimulation through various means, such as social engagement, technology, and lifelong learning opportunities, has helped older adults maintain and even improve their cognitive skills.
Finally, better and more widely available healthcare probably also played a role. Improved medical treatments, preventive care and better management of chronic diseases have a positive impact on cognitive health. These services provide tailored support including mental health care, cognitive training and social activities designed to keep the mind active and engaged. By offering a comprehensive approach to elder care, elder care ensures that older adults receive the necessary tools to maintain and even improve their cognitive function. Together with better education, better nutrition and more exercise, this has significantly improved the cognitive function of older adults.
Why this matters
The cognitive skills of older adults improve significantly, challenging traditional views of cognitive decline with age. This is of course good news. But it is also a signal that some things need to be revised. For example, models of cognitive aging and criteria for diagnosing conditions such as dementia need to be periodically revised to reflect these findings.
“As older adults generally perform better than previous generations, it may be necessary to revise definitions of dementia depending on an individual’s expected skill level. This is because dementia is defined as cognitive ability below normal and the current results suggest that as healthy older adults become more cognitively capable, we may need to revise our definition of normal when diagnosing dementia,” says Badham.
Additionally, because lifestyle changes appear to have such an impact, it could provide an incentive to further promote health programs among older adults. Programs that focus on education, healthcare, nutrition and cognitive stimulation can help maintain and further improve the cognitive skills of the aging population, delivering tangible benefits.
By doing this we can ensure a healthier, cognitively capable aging population for the future.
The study was published in the journal Developmental Review.
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