Here’s how older adults can have the brain of a college student

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Learning should be a life-long endeavor, according to researchers from the University of California-Riverside. Many may subscribe to the belief that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” but study authors found learning multiple tasks led to notable improvements in cognition among older adults. Those improvements even became more robust as time went on.

Lead researcher Rachel Wu, an associate professor of psychology at UC Riverside, says these findings lend further credence to her long-held theory that older adults are quite capable of learning new tasks and improving their cognition in the process, so long as they approach learning like a child.

“Our findings provide evidence that simultaneously learning real-world skills can lead to long-term improvements in cognition during older adulthood,” study authors write in a university release. “Overall, our findings promote the benefits of lifelong learning, namely, to improve cognitive abilities in older adulthood.”

A full year after learning new skills, older participants in this study scored higher on certain cognitive tasks in comparison to before the learning. Quite consistently, cognitive functions scores increased, on average, by at least two to three times, and sometimes even more.

Try becoming bilingual later in life

The first study included six participants, while the second examined 27. The average ages of these participants were 66 and 69 years-old, respectively. In order to qualify for this project, these volunteers had to be at least 55 years-old, fluent in English, have normal or corrected-to-normal vision, and no prior diagnoses related to cognitive impairment. They completed classwork and homework for roughly 15 hours per week for a total of three months. Prof. Wu notes that time constraints limited the number of viable participants considerably.

During both studies, the seniors learned at least three new skills. Examples include speaking Spanish, using an iPad, photography, painting, and music composition over a period of three months in a UC Riverside classroom for older adults. Meanwhile, the study authors conducted cognitive exams in a research lab before the start of the classes, halfway through classes, and after three months of learning. They also administered follow-up tests at three months, six months, and one year after classes ended.

“The primary goal of the follow-up assessments was to determine if gains in cognitive abilities… would continue up to one year after the intervention,” the research team writes.

Seniors performed as well as college undergrads

Cognitive measures tested include attention, inhibition, and short-term memory, which entails recalling small amounts of information needed to perform various tasks, like a phone number or words from a list. Overall cognitive scores at all follow-up times (three months, six months, and one year after the intervention) were significantly higher than before the intervention — and more than three times higher by many measures. Moreover, the more time passed, the higher the scores grew.

“Remarkably, the cognitive scores increased to levels similar to undergraduates taking the same cognitive tests for the first time,” Prof. Wu says. “Our finding of continuous cognitive growth in older adulthood is unique because most studies show only maintenance of cognitive abilities or cognitive decline over time.”

The key to the difference, Wu theorizes, is learning multiple tasks simultaneously within an encouraging environment, similar to the typical experience of a child.

“The time and energy commitment to do so was similar to a full undergraduate course load,” researchers conclude. “One-year cognitive outcomes from a multiple real-world skill learning intervention with older adults.”

All in all, the study authors say this work suggests older adults should approach learning with an open mind, unafraid of criticism or failure, receptive to instruction, willing to learn multiple tasks at once, and with a genuine belief they can improve with effort. In other words, like a child.

The new study is published in the journal Aging & Mental Health.

Back to school

With all this in mind, plenty of adults are also planning to hit the books and put their dreams into action. A 2021 survey of 2,000 parents looked at how many are thinking about furthering their education, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. Results show that COVID-19 prompted 62 percent to realize life’s too short to procrastinate when accomplishing their dreams.

In fact, 44 percent of parents plan to return to college to learn something completely new. Over half (56%) believe that more education could help refresh their perspective on life.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of UMass Global, nearly four in five respondents even think they’d be better students now than when they originally attended college.

Only three in 10 have completed a degree related to their dream job in college. However, some tried to go after their dream career but didn’t finish (11%). Another 17 percent say they chose a realistic job option instead.

Returning to college can help reignite a former passion

While browsing for schools, half of moms and dads have rediscovered their old passions, such as “working with children,” “pursuing a career in culinary and pastry arts,” “interior decorating,” or “owning my own bar and bartending.”

Parents listed other reasons why they want to further their education – saying “I want to complete my major, which I stepped away from to have children,” “I need advancement in my current career,” and “I need my kids to know education is important and how can I teach that if I don’t do it myself?”