Building a Mind for Life - Part 1: Rethinking Our Beliefs About Ageing

In this special three-part series, I’m going to explore what it takes to build a mind for life. In this first part, we explore our current beliefs about ageing. Then we’ll look at how taking control of our health can strengthen our minds. In the final part, we’ll learn how the power of our social bonds affects our feelings and emotional health. We have three things to work on: what we believe, how we take care of ourselves, and our relationships.

The wise Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius once said, “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” All too often, however, it’s those outside events that seem to be the ones in control. Modern life gives us that illusion. If we want to build ‘a mind for life’, one that stays strong and makes us feel in control throughout our lives, we need a thoughtful and intentional approach. 

Let’s start by defining a ‘mind for life’. It’s a mind that’s busy, curious, and dynamic at every age, consistently tapping into our unique talents and personalities. It’s about having a mind that helps us live meaningfully and fully, one that supports us during the good times and the bad. By the end of this three-part series, I hope you’ll feel closer to what Marcus Aurelius said: that you have power over your mind. 

We start by looking at how we think about ageing and the mind. We need to begin here because our current views can be a problem.

Paradise Lost Then Found

I recently read the story of John Bassinger. In 1992, approaching 60, Bassinger decided to memorise John Milton’s 60,000-word epic poem, Paradise Lost. I read Paradise Lost when I was 19 (fun times). And when I say read, I mean attempted. Milton’s seventeenth-century work is about as accessible as a block of concrete. Yet, Bassinger, a retired actor, mastered the entire work over eight years, culminating in an acclaimed three-day recital. Even more remarkable is that twenty years on, at nearly 80, he still remembers the verses and words. 

Bassinger isn’t someone with a superhuman or freakish memory. By his own admission, he has an average memory and often forgets things. Instead, he trained his memory, just like a muscle. He made the text come alive in his mind using unique and creative techniques such as natural hand gestures inspired by the sign language he’d learned while working for the National Theatre for the Deaf. Bassinger had another secret weapon: he believed being older was a time when all his knowledge and experience could really pay off. 

In other words, he thought getting older was a good thing. 

The Ageing Myth

To build a mind for life, we need to start by understanding that getting older doesn’t automatically lead to a decline in our mental abilities. Dementia is a terrible affliction for those suffering from it—and their families. But it’s not a normal part of ageing and most older people do not experience dementia. There’s also evidence that dementia rates have been declining over time. For many, our minds remain sharp as we age. But if we believe ageing is an inevitable road to ruin, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We are what we believe. 

Greats like Darwin, Dickens, and Hitchcock produced some of their best work at an age considered past their prime by current standards. The average age of the Nobel Prize winner in the past 100 years has been 65. The author Toni Morrison won her Nobel Prize in Literature at 62. A sense of usefulness and purpose unites them, irrespective of age.  

A mind for life is exactly that; a healthy mind throughout our whole life. Although ageing is a biological process, it is also a deeply social and psychological one. Genes only decide about 25 per cent of our health. Genes are important—and we need to recognise they can influence brain health in ways we can’t change—but our surroundings also matter a lot. Our environment shapes the remaining 75 per cent of our health. The good news is we can control and change a lot of our environment, including the way we think about ageing.  

Understanding Age Beliefs

Dr. Rebecca Levy is one of the world’s most respected experts on ageing and longevity. In her book, Breaking the Age Code, Levy found that people with positive thoughts about ageing can live 7.5 years longer than those with negative views.

Levy explains that our beliefs about age guide our expectations of how we expect people to behave at different ages. When we see someone older, for example, we may expect them to act or think more slowly than ourselves. These beliefs form when we’re very young and continue throughout our lives. The problem is that many of these beliefs are negative stereotypes about ageing. These hurt not only society but also us as individuals. They affect how we see ourselves and can change how we feel and act. If we think getting older will harm our memory, it might just end up doing so because we expect it to—making our own fears come true.  

Ageing Across Cultures

Different cultures perceive and experience ageing differently. While Western countries often celebrate the ideal of youth, Eastern cultures often honour older adults for their experience. How do you see ageing? Try it yourself now. Think of an older person and write the first five words or phrases that come to mind. Is the sentiment positive or negative? In the United States, the first phrase that comes to mind is typically “memory loss”. In China, it’s “wisdom.” This highlights that how we think about age can be very different. We might also have something to learn from the respect for older adults in Eastern cultures.

False Age Beliefs

It’s a common misunderstanding that our thinking abilities (cognition) get worse as we age. Many parts of our thinking, like self-reflection, looking at things from different viewpoints, solving disagreements, and remembering knowledge and facts, get better. Some thinking skills, like remembering routine behaviours such as riding a bicycle, stay the same. Levy’s studies show that if we think positively about ageing, we can get better at remembering things that people often think get worse with age. We have more control over this than we might realise. 

The saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is another myth. In reality, older people can and do learn new things just like younger people, using the same strategies to improve their memories. Remember our Paradise Lost reciter, John Bassinger? Our brains actually experience new growth in response to mental challenges throughout life. My Dad, about to turn 80, has been learning Spanish and recently sent me a photo of his app tracking an impressive streak of 400 consecutive days of study.  

It turns out we are capable of new tricks at any age if we take good care of our brains and nourish them. Studies show that as we get older, we tend to understand our emotions better, think more about our past, dream more about friends, and trust our instincts more. Older brains can still grow. People with a positive view of ageing often want to keep learning or try new activities. This is something we can all encourage.

Getting older doesn’t guarantee wisdom, but you don’t get wise until you age. 

A New Age

Ageing is a part of life. Our genes do affect our health in some ways that we can't control, but a big part of our health is determined by things we can control, like our environment and our thoughts about getting older. This can really affect what we do and how we feel.

To keep your mind sharp, start by examining your own views. Notice if you have any stereotypes or negative thoughts about ageing. Try the ‘five phrases’ activity to check your own perspective. Challenge people who present age stereotypes as fact; counter them with the growing scientific evidence that shows these beliefs aren’t accurate. This will help reinforce your own positive beliefs, too.   

Levy’s book is a great resource for learning how to view ageing positively, with many practical and helpful tips. It includes the exercise to list four older people you look up to—two from your life and two from the world at large. Choose a quality you admire in each and would like to develop in yourself as you age.

As Carl Jung said, “Until you make the conscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” Choose to direct your life positively to help build a mind for life. 

When someone asked John Bassinger what motivated him to learn a 60,000-word poem by heart, he said it was the Greek ideal of a strong mind inside a strong body. He said the poem was “like a cathedral that I carry around in my mind.” 

Imagine what your mind is capable of?

Next in Part 2: Taking Control of our Four Key Pillars of Health.

Coming soon.