Modern humans have added a whole new era to life, with many
people continuing to thrive into their 80s and 90s. We have
increased the lifespan about two and a half years each decade
over the last century. With longer life comes a further decline
in rapid recall, but other aspects of cognition are at their
strongest as we move into older adulthood.
Crystallized
intelligence, for example, which refers to a person’s amassed
knowledge such as vocabulary and cultural references, continues
to improve with age. The crystallized intelligence or wisdom of
aging comes from your synthesis of experience, knowledge,
maturity, and judgment, which all improve.