As supermarket shelves fill with anti-ageing creams promising to banish our wrinkles and as we’re taught to have a high-flying career, family and everything sorted out by the time we’re 30, the prospect of ageing is a scary concept to say the least.
But despite these fears, numerous scientific studies have determined that this ingrained fear of getting older is unjustified. In fact, being young isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
Whether it’s our ability to run a marathon or our level of body confidence, like a bottle of fine wine, a lot of what we do gets better with age.
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It’s easiest to learn another language when you’re 7 or 8
Though linguists and psychologists aren’t quite certain about the specifics of this, the consensus is that learning a second language is most successful the younger that you are. In particular, it’s easiest to take to a second language before reaching puberty.
Processing power is at its maximum at 18
According to a study published in 2016, 18 year olds have the best brain processing power. Examined using a digit symbol coding test – where participants were asked to convert numbers to their corresponding symbols – the teens fared best.
The ability to remember names is best at 22
Learning someone’s name is always an anxiety inducing task, no matter what age you are. Sadly though, the ability to remember someone’s name peaks at 22, meaning that saying “Sorry, can you remind me of you’re name again?” may be a common part of our vocabulary.
Women are most attractive to men at 23
As found by the co-founder of OKCupid, and author of Dataclysm, Christian Rudder, men are most attracted to women in their early twenties regardless of how old they themselves are. On the other hand, women in their 20s preferred men who were a couple of years older than them, with women in their 30s opting for men a few years younger.
Life satisfaction first peaks at 23
A survey of over 20,000 people in Germany found that “all things considered” 23 year olds were the most satisfied with their lives.
The desire to settle down peaks at 26
As per the 37 percent rule of statistics, when you turn 26, you’ll have met enough people to have a wide range of options when it comes to choosing a partner. Research from 2015 also found that divorce rates tend to be lower for couples who married when they were between 28 and 32.
The best time to run a marathon is when you’re 28
If running a marathon is on your bucket list, you might want to check this out first. A 50 year analysis of marathons found that at age 28, average runners can run the race in two hours.
Women's salaries are highest at age 39
Though salaries range from person to person, Payscale found that women earn the most money when they’re 39, with an average income of $60,000. Comparatively, men can expect their salaries to peak at 48 or 49, earning around $95,000.
Emotional intelligence peaks in your 40s and 50s
In a study of 10,000 people, scientists showed participants images of people’s eyes and asked them to determine what emotion they were feelings. The result found that people in their 40s and 50s were most likely to correctly identity the emotion.
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Body confidence is highest after 70
In a survey by Gallup, two-thirds of Americans over 65 said that they always liked how they looked. Men’s confidence peaked in their 80s whereas women’s peaked at 74.
People over 60 are the wisest
They say that you get wiser with age, and it turns out that you really do. A group of psychologists asked people to read about conflict and asked them questions about their reading. The research found that those aged between 60 and 90 were better at understanding other people’s viewpoints, acknowledging uncertainty and identifying compromise.
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