Cognitive Resilience.
Do we age like our mothers cognitively?
I received an extraordinarily intelligence letter from my mother this morning that indicated she can think about a complex problem in at least seven dimensions at once, like playing hyperchess in real life.
She’s 88 and I’m shocked at how agile and vast her mind is. And I work closely with geniuses (like math Olympics and hackathon champs) on a daily basis, so I am far from easily wowed by intellect.
Pretty much everyone I ever met at that age was done with that level of thinking and managing complex projects.
I wonder what it is about my mother that allows her mind to exhibit such cognitive resilience.
In the letter in reply I asked her if she knew the reason why:
“I’m impressed and pleased with the quality of your intellect. You’re among the most intelligent and clear thinking people I know, and there’s simply no one close to you your age. Most seem to fall apart by 55-60.
May I inquire what you see the cognitive differences are between how your mind operates and the minds of others work?
How are you able to stay so smart for 88 years?
What are you doing that others are not?”
Her father (my grandfather) had dementia at age 88 and died.
When it looked like grandfather wouldn’t be long for this world, my mother and I visited him at his care facility in Texas where my uncle had put him.
My conversation with him was lucid, but he ranted and raved when my mother talked to him.
He was so incoherent that I don’t rennet it, other than one phrase: “You aren’t my daughter. You were made by Bim, Bam and UNIFLEX!”
My mother burst into tears.
The difference between the cognitive resilience at age 88 of my grandfather (2 out of 10) and my mother (10 out of 10) is so vast that I thought I’d ask you guys and gals if you have any insights, if my future is to have a mind like my mother, I have many decades of good productive years to look forward to.
How much is a son’s mind like his mother’s mind, for those who live a decade or longer than national average lifespan?