In her book about women’s second adulthood, Inventing the Rest of Our Lives, Suzanne Braun Levine provides us with some exiting data concerning the aging brain. Dr. Francine Benes, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has discovered that there is a growth spurt that takes place in the human brain around the age of fifty. Myelin, which is the fatty layer that covers nerve fibers, actually grows about fifty percent during this time. This coating is responsible for aiding the brain to more effectively synthesize life experiences and to enhance the ability to make thoughtful judgments and prudent decisions.
Even better, the location of this growth spurt is found within the area of the cerebral cortex that is identified with emotional learning. Perhaps, as Levine suggests, this myelin growth factor may likely play a part in creating the highly revered trait we call wisdom.
So, next time we search for our car keys, call our son by the dog’s name, or forget to tell our husband his boss phoned, we have to remember that somewhere in our noggin there’s a whole heap of wisdom going on!
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June 28th, 2008 | Tags: 1960’s hippies, 50+, 60s hippies, aging, aging process, aging with grace, anti aging, attitude, baby boomer, baby boomer generation, baby boomer woman, baby boomer women, baby boomer women over 50, baby boomer women over fifty, baby boomers, body, body image, book, boomer, boomers, career, career development, career transition, careers after 50, connect, counterculture, creative, early menopause, Eileen Williams, emotion, empty nest, empty nesters, encourage, female forums, feminist, feminist history, feminist movement, feminists, Fifties, fifty plus, first-wave boomers, forum for women, forums for women, friends, fun, generation, goal, goal attainment, goal setting, groovy, health, healthy aging, hippie, hippie chick, hippie culture, hippies, hippies in the sixties, hippy, humor, inspiration, invitation, lifelong learning, M. Eileen Williams, making goals, marriage, Mary Eileen Williams, mature resources, mature women, maturity, menopausal symptoms, menopause, midlife, midlife crisis, midlife transition, old broad, older women, over fifty, peri menopause, post-menopausal, post-menopause, psychedelic, reaching your goals, retirement, retirement planning, senior discount, senior services, seniors, Seventies, share, signs of menopause, Sixties, speak, story, support, symptoms of menopause, the 50's, the 60's, tips for baby boomer women, turning fifty, voice, wisdom, women, women over 50, women over fifty, write, writer | Category: Of Mind and Matter
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June 30th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
It figures that it would be the FATTY layer.
June 29th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
OK, so we have a growth spurt around 50. That’s good news. The bad news is, it only lasts 24 hours
June 28th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Memory is so over rated. Wisdom and knowledge are the keys that unlock doors.
I don’t know why any of us Menopausers should be surprised that yet something else is growing as we age. LOL Good info.
June 28th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I always told my children that with age comes wisdom! At last, scientific proof that I am right. Can’t wait to email this to them!
June 28th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I love this! Instead of believing that we are losing brain cells as we age we can now believe that we are actually getting smarter!
Since what we believe is so important this is a wonderful post and gives all of us over 50 the impetus to strive for our dreams!
June 28th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Wisdom is a good thing. I keep two sets of car keys, keep track of dentist appointments, or even find my car at a shopping center. Tradeoffs!