Do you think people are more intelligent with age?

Valdosta, Georgia
June 23, 2011 11:17am CST
I'm asking this because right after I went through some terrible things in my life someone told me that I don't know what it is to have it tough. They said I will only know how tough life can be when I get older. The person didn't know that my husband and I had just gotten on our feet from living in a tent and not knowing where my next meal was coming from but that's besides the point. Do you think people that are older are more intelligent because of their age? Or does age matter? Do you think because your older that you have been through more than a younger person? What are your thoughts on this?
6 people like this
66 responses
@petersum (4522)
• United States
23 Jun 11
We may be very slightly more intelligent with age but mostly it's just acquired experience. Although we can learn new things, that doesn't mean our brain power has increased. Yes, we have been through more, but did we learn from our experiences or from our mistakes? Overall, I think the amount of intelligence you had in your schooldays doesn't increase with age. You either have it or don't have it!
3 people like this
• Valdosta, Georgia
23 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I feel that it's what we have experienced. I appreciate your insight. =)
1 person likes this
25 Jun 11
It isn't a question of age, some people can be naive and pretty dumb all their lives, it's how we process our experiences, how we use adversity to help us grow and develop as people. That is the mark of intelligence, and being willing to listen and to learn from others who have had more experience, admitting you don't know it all is sometimes the most mature thing you can do.
• Philippines
30 Jun 11
Age is just a number. There is much to say about age with how long have you lived, but it doesn't really reflect how truly you live. Age don't tell you everything that was experienced by an individual. Intelligence is a product of experience. Hence, age is not a real good indicator of intelligence.
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
23 Jun 11
An intelligent individual would gain more knowledge as they age, but looking at people as a whole, being older does not necessarily make you more intelligent than those younger. Sometimes a younger person may have actually gone through more than an elder, but there is so much more to intelligence than just what has happened to us. It is how we perceive things, how much we pay attention to and question things. This is what makes one more intelligent.
1 person likes this
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
25 Jun 11
For example, someone who spams mylot is clearly not intelligent, even though they are well old enough to know how to read guidelines, but choose to ignore them.
• Valdosta, Georgia
24 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I absolutely agree with you that it is not only what we have experienced but what we have learned from it also. That makes an intelligent person, one that has learned from their mistakes. =)
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
25 Jun 11
I hope your not talking about me because I definitely do not spam mylot...Maybe thats not how you meant it but thats the way it came across to me.
@bingskee (5234)
• Philippines
14 Aug 11
hi. not all aged people are 'more' intelligent. there are a lot of proof to this. if they had gained enough wisdom and knowledge, these aged people could have been easier to deal with, or could have loved more than being loved. some of them are so self-centered even.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
31 Oct 12
I agree with you that not all older people are more intelligent.
• Philippines
23 Jun 11
A good amount of research on neuropsychology points to the observation that: (1) our brain is able to strengthen neural connections from things we repeatedly do and become experts in (neurogenesis); and (2) that our brain is capable of capitalizing on different parts of it for different uses (brain plasticity). In this case, age theoretically allows more opportunities for a person to hone his intelligence in whatever form it may be. (Intelligence is still a tricky construct to talk about.) Simply said, research says that we can get 'more intelligent' as we age. There is a good amount of variance in this though, because how we perceive and take on opportunities is dependent on a lot of factors including our inherent personality 'traits' (again, another tricky psychological construct), the environment, and of course, our life experiences. This means that the brain 'grows' depending on how we make meaning from these confluence of factors. Simply said, the brain can grow 'more intelligent' with age, but at varying rates for different people.
• Valdosta, Georgia
24 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I appreciate your thoughts and you are obviously an intelligent person. =)
1 person likes this
• Philippines
24 Jun 11
I really don't think that age has something to do with the intelligence of an individual. I mostly believe that experience has a great impact with one's emotional intelligence. We may become old but may still be raw on certain aspects of our lives. While most younger generations had already experienced struggles in their lives and have lived on it teaching them how to handle it on the most effective way. So I really don't believe that age has something to do with a person's intelligence.
• Philippines
23 Jun 11
as we get older we observe more things around us and we get the idea of how to deal with different situations by learning from other people. but we get smarter mainly through our life experiences. the harder chalenges we face the tougher we get.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
24 Jun 11
Yep! Learning definitely comes from experience. The tougher the struggle and the greater the challenges you've been through, the more the experience you get. Much like level up kind of games. The harder you fall and the bigger the mistake you make, the bigger the opportunity for you to learn also. The more you stand up for every fall, the more you rise up better and wiser than the previous. But it is also good to note that stupid kind of people tend to not learn from the mistakes that they make.
• Valdosta, Georgia
23 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I agree with your point that is what we have experienced, not our age. That's how I feel as well about it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? =)
1 person likes this
@ptower76 (1616)
• United States
23 Jun 11
Experience is the best teacher. It is not that intelligence comes because of age but because of the many more opportunities for learning one experiences as one ages. Of course it is also a matter of taking advantage of those experience. Just because one is aging does not mean one is intelligent enough to actually learn.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
23 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I love hearing your comments and thoughts. Now you are one intelligent person =) I absolutely agree that experience is the most important factor in intelligence. I also think that if a 20 year old has done nothing but have hard things that they have had to learn from and a 40 year old has pretty much lived on easy street than the 20 year old will actually have had more experiences in life and more knowledge.
1 person likes this
@oXAquaXo (607)
• United States
23 Jun 11
Almost my exact words! Age is not directly correlated with intelligent or wisdom. It's all about what you went through in your life. I know so many middle-aged people who were pampered their entire life, and know nothing about the difficulties of life. And they think all of their comfort was well-deserved. Yeah right. But then again...that's life. Happy mylotting everyone.
1 person likes this
@ptower76 (1616)
• United States
23 Jun 11
Thank you for those kind words. You are absolutely correct. There are so many youngsters that have come from disfunctional homes as well as those simply living in poverty that have had to face life's experiences head on and I would put them against older sheltered individuals in a heartbeat where experience is involved. Psychologist call these learning environments (ZOPDs) zone of proximal development. These occur when environments occur where true learning takes place. It does not only have to be in the classroom.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
5 Jul 11
It's possible I guess. It's always good to learn something new and intelligence is the ability to learn, understand and think things through quickly. We all have different abilities and we all have good days and bad days. It's possible that as we acquire wisdom and have many experiences that our ability to learn, understand and think things through quickly improves.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
17 Aug 12
Yes it is possible but not the case in every situation. I feel that age is not a factor, it is what we have experienced in life that makes us more wise. Not every elderly person has been through Hell and back. Not every child has had a good childhood. There is never just black and white in this world, which is my point. Some 15 year old's have been through more than I have. I have been through more than most 50 year old's in my life. My grandma told me I have been through more than she has and she is 76 years old. Just because she is older than I am does not always mean she has had more experiences in life than me, which she told me herself that she has not experienced more than me.
1 person likes this
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
25 Jun 11
Experience gives wisdom. Naturally most older people can have more experience than younger people. But as in the case of your tent living...example: im 55 and a friend of mine is 79. She has never been homeless, i have been. Some older people have not experienced some things. Any way i dont think it has anything to do with intelligence its experience.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
30 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I agree it is experience no matter what the age is. You can be much more intelligent than an older friend because you have been through more and have learned from your mistakes and so on. =)
1 person likes this
@raj7shot (838)
• India
26 Jun 11
Its not like that...Its upto their experience....
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
26 Jun 11
Thank you and I agree that it has to do with experience. =)
1 person likes this
25 Jun 11
I think people are more wise with age, not intelligent. Because we have experience with many problem in our lives, and that will make us wise. Remember, experience is the biggest teacher. Our intelligent (i.e. IQ) only grow untill five tears old, and after that is just improvement phase of our intelligent. What I want to tell you is, the success in our live doesn't depend on IQ. But, much more depend on our emotional and spiritual ability.
• Valdosta, Georgia
30 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I don't agree that you have more experiences because your older though. I just met a girl here on Mylot that has been through more than I have and I am 2 years older than her. So, that assessment would mean she is more intelligent than I am because she has more experiences than I do. But she is 2 years younger than I am so how does that work according to that theory? =) Just saying... I actually wasn't really talking about IQ in this discussion. By more intelligent I meant in life not in studies or school...
1 person likes this
• United Arab Emirates
26 Jun 11
Yes no doubt that with time in life you grow and learn day by day and event by event someyime less and sometimes enough experience you got through your daily life style or with connections of your family and friens circle you learn more from your surroundings.
• Valdosta, Georgia
27 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I agree that it depends on your experiences.
1 person likes this
• Romania
25 Jun 11
To a certain extent, yes. I mean, under 16, people are usually immature in their decisions and actions. Over that age, it all depends on the person. I bet you can find an 18 person wiser than an 80 one and vice-versa.
1 person likes this
@liviuc (1)
• Romania
26 Jun 11
As we get old in our day by day life you learn different things I don't know if someone noticed but if you could look at something that you made let's say 3 or 4 years ago you'll get that feeling that you can do it much better and that's because in those 3 or 4 years you've accumulated more experience and learned more stuff
• Valdosta, Georgia
27 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! Yes with experience comes intelligence. =)
1 person likes this
@rawar31 (112)
• Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
11 Aug 11
This SHOULD be the case because the older you get the more people would have experienced. But keep in mind that many people go through things in life that others dont and some people go through more in life than some. Like me- whenever I share my stories people tend to be skeptical that I'm just in my twenties. But many people fail to learn their experiences or the expeirences of others and therefore you can find a person in their forties behaving like a rebellious 17 year old and never being able to cope or make their own desicions.
• Valdosta, Georgia
17 Aug 12
Yes it should be but not now a days. There are often times where a child has been through more than a 30 year old. It is not this way anymore where the elderly are wiser because they have been through more. Not true. My grandmother told me I have been through more than she has in her life. She is 76 years old! She should have been through much more than me!
1 person likes this
@swtpareek (650)
• United States
24 Jun 11
No.. I don't think so. I have seen people of very small age acquire a high level of maturity which certain people almost double their age lack. It depends on how much you have been through in your life that you acquire maturity or knowledge. It's true that age does give knowledge but it's also true that exposure to the world gives you experience.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
24 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I agree with you. I do not think it has anything to do with age at all.
@aerous (13434)
• Philippines
25 Jun 11
I don't think so? But my opinion is depend on any person. Because not all people being intelligent and smart thinker. There are people who is always dumb and not listening to any advice. Instead they are more careful and think what older people say about there experience. Those people still doing what bad things they do...
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
30 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I agree that it does depend on the person. Some older people are not smarter and they have not been through a lot. Some older people have, it depends...
1 person likes this
@picjim (3002)
• India
24 Jun 11
I can't say whether people become more intelligent with age.They get more experiences regarding life with age.Hence having seen both the ups and downs they are in a position to make better decisions.This could be a reason why people feel they are more intelligent with age.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
24 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I have seen many ups and downs and I have had to overcome many things in my life. I have learned from my mistakes and I have learned people aren't always what they seem to be.
• Philippines
25 Jun 11
Maybe, older people are more intelligent because they learned a lot from their experience and use this to live life better. All the things in the past that we experience can teach us good lessons even if it is bad or good. All the things that happen in life are our tools for the future.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
30 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! Like I have said many times actually through this discussion being older does not always mean that you have experienced more than a younger person. Matter of fact there is a young woman on here that has experienced more than I have and she is 2 years younger than I am!
1 person likes this
• United States
24 Jun 11
No, there are stupid people at every age level. Intelligence may be gained for some with age because of more experience and better hindsight. However, some people refuse to learn from mistakes and end up in the same cycle over and over. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and this applies to people escpecially.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
24 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! I agree there are stupid people at any age. ;) That's correct so the people that don't learn from their mistakes even if they are 80 they are not as intelligent as people who are maybe 20 if they have learned from their mistakes. So, does intelligence mean we have learned from our mistakes? Or is it more than that? Hmm...
25 Jun 11
With age comes more experience but not necessarily more intelligence. Does a wealthy middle-aged person know more about how to survive than an a destitute adolescent in Africa? Does a college student, whose only concern has ever been academics, know how to better deal with fear of further abuse than a young girl who was molested throughout her childhood? Does an elderly woman know all the new technologies? With age comes experience. Intelligence only comes with age if one is willing to learn from his or her past experiences.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
30 Jun 11
Thanks for your response! Not always does it mean that older people have experienced more. There is a young lady on here that has been through more than I have and she is 2 years younger than I am so that is not always the case actually. I agree that intelligence comes from learning through mistakes and staying strong through hard times. =)
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