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What is the smartest age?
Perhaps a day of friendly competition
will lead us to the answer.
Tomorrow’s the annual Brain Clash—
ten teams of two competing in a decathlon
of mental challenges,
trivia competitions, and puzzles.
I’ve been training all year.
I’ll need to pick the smartest,
most capable teammate.
I’ve narrowed down the roster.
First we have Gabriela.
She may only be 8,
but don’t underestimate her!
She’s fluent in two languages and
is the ultimate outside-the-box thinker.
Then there’s Ama.
She can recite 100 digits of pi,
designs satellites for a living,
and bakes a perfect soufflé.
Or I could go with Mr. Taylor.
He’s the best chess player
in the neighborhood,
not to mention he’s competed
in over 20 Brain Clashes
and is a five-time champion!
I’m not sure who to pick!
Who’s the smartest?
Which of these teammates should Amir
choose for tomorrow's contest and why?
Of course, it depends.
While intelligence is often associated
with things like IQ tests,
these assessments fail to capture
the scope and depth
of a person’s varied abilities.
So instead, we’ll break down the idea
of “smart” into categories
like creativity, memory, and learning
and explore when the brain’s best
at each of them.
Let's start at the very beginning.
In the first few years of life,
your brain undergoes incredible
rapid growth, called synaptogenesis,
where more than 1 million new neural
connections are formed every second.
As the brain develops, it goes
through a pruning process.
Based on your experience and environment,
used connections are strengthened
and unused connections are removed.
Frequently used neuronal pathways
are myelinated,
wrapped in a layer of insulation,
allowing information to travel faster.
This creates a more efficient,
fine-tuned brain.
But this brain remodeling happens
within and between brain regions
at different times,
allowing different skills
to flourish at different ages.
For example, in childhood, brain regions
involved in language learning
develop quickly,
which is why many children can
learn and master multiple languages.
Yet the prefrontal cortex,
a brain region responsible
for cognitive control and inhibition,
is slower to develop.
As a result, some young children may
struggle with strategic games,
such as chess or checkers,
which require constant concentration,
planning, and abstract thought.
At the same time, children tend to be more
flexible, exploration-based learners.
They often use more creative approaches
when finding solutions to riddles
and are, on average,
less afraid to make mistakes.
But adults have their own
unique set of abilities.
Adults benefit from a well-developed
prefrontal cortex,
allowing them to better execute skills
that require learning, focus, and memory,
making them quick and efficient
puzzle solvers or crossword masters.
Late in adulthood,
these same skills may decline
as the brain’s memory center,
known as the hippocampus, shrinks.
But there’s a reason for the phrase
“older and wiser.”
After a lifetime of learning,
older adults have more knowledge
to recall and utilize,
making them excellent trivia partners.
Other factors that Amir should consider
are his own strengths.
As an adolescent, the prefrontal cortical
regions of your brain are more developed
than in childhood.
This allows you to better navigate
logic and math puzzles.
Simultaneously,
deep inside the brain,
regions that are important in motivation
and reward are developing even faster,
driving teenagers like Amir to be
curious and adventurous learners.
In many ways, you can think
of the teenager as a jack-of-all-trades,
with brains wired to seek out new
experiences and learn quickly.
You’re at a dynamic stage,
where the choices you make
and the skills you focus on
can actually guide the development
of your brain.
So, what’s the smartest age?
There’s no single answer.
It’s 8, 16, 25, 65,
and everything in between;
our brains have adapted to prioritize
different skills at various ages
to meet that stage of life’s challenges
and demands.
So no matter who Amir picks, having
an age-diverse team is a good strategy.
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