Alamy Do you get smarter as you get older, or does time slowly erode your cognitive abilities? A recent study from the University of California at Riverside and Columbia University, with the mind-bending title "Complementary Cognitive Capabilities, Economic Decision Making and Aging," has the answer. Researchers tested a group of 20-somethings and people in their 60s and 70s in various financial subjects such as basic financial literacy, knowledge about debt, tolerance for risk and how much the participants thought about their financial futures. Despite a general loss of mental acuity, the older group did better than the younger test-takers in virtually every category. How is that? The researchers explained the results by teasing apart two different kinds of intelligence. Fluid intelligence involves short-term memory, problem solving and the ability to manipulate information and process it quickly. Crystallized intelligence consists of a "stable repository of knowledge acquired through experiences, culture and education." As we age, we lose fluid intelligence, but gain crystallized intelligence. "For decisions that rely heavily on processing new information, it is likely that the negative effects of aging will outweigh its positive effects relatively early in middle age," the study concludes. "On the other hand, if the decision relies on recognizing previously learned patterns in a stable environment, age may be an advantage."
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