There’s tons of research out there about how the ability to learn and remember declines as we age. Researchers are now starting to look at what our brains gain as we age: wisdom.
Wisdom is the ability to make sense of information and experiences. It’s not so much learning new things as making connections between old ones. Knowledge is important to wisdom, but it isn’t the only thing involved; other important factors include good judgment, insight, diverse life experiences, and empathy. Take a person who knows a lot, has seen a lot, and has done a lot… and you’ve probably got a wise person on your hands.
Not all older people are automatically wise. If you’d like to gain wisdom as you gain years, work on the following habits:
- Spend some time reflecting on the past. What major life lessons have you learned? This might be a good time to start keeping a journal.
- Work on your “wisdom knowledge” — wisdom-based knowledge uses self-examination and insight. You can build this sort of knowledge by studying philosophy, history, psychology, literature, religion, and more. (Intellectual knowledge is more concerned with facts and skills gained by observation and study.)
- Be open to new experiences. That includes meeting new people of all ages, classes, and cultures. Exposure to different kinds of people and different world views can help you become wiser.
- Think about things from the other side. When you disagree with someone, stop and try to see their side of the argument. There are very few situations where there is only one right answer!
- Be humble. The young are often self-centered. Older and wiser people often celebrate the accomplishments of others and not their own successes.
- Get ready for mixed emotions. Life is full of ambiguity, and situations that evoke more than one kind of emotional reaction. If you’re going to be wise, you’ll need to accept and try to understand this.
I don’t think I’m wise… yet. But I’m working on it. Some of the above habits are already important to me — especially the new experiences and looking at things from more than one perspective. Others might become easier with more years behind me.