🧠 Can You Defy Cognitive Aging?
New research suggests that using your cognitive skills regularly can keep them sharp into old age
We often hear that cognitive decline is inevitable as we age. The traditional belief is that our mental sharpness begins to fade by our 30s, making learning and problem-solving increasingly difficult.
But what if that decline isn’t inevitable? A new study suggests that using cognitive skills regularly can protect them against age-related decline.
📚 The protective effects of cognitive exercise
In a recent study published in March 2025, researchers analyzed cognitive skill changes over time using a unique longitudinal dataset from Germany.
The study tracked a large, representative sample of adults (N = 3,263, age range: 16-65) who were tested twice, 3.5 years apart, on literacy and numeracy skills. Literacy skills refer to a person’s ability to understand and utilize written texts to achieve real-life goals. Numeracy skills refer to a person’s ability to navigate and overcome mathematical challenges in daily life.
In addition to the cognitive tests, participants completed surveys assessing how often they engaged in literacy activities (e.g. reading books) and numeracy activities (e.g. calculating percentages) in their daily life and work.
Most past studies looking at cognitive aging have relied on cross-sectional data (i.e. comparing a group of younger people to a separate group of older people). This approach is easier to execute but it may mistakenly attribute individual or generational skill differences to aging. To avoid this problem, the current study observed the same individuals over time rather than comparing different age groups.
So what did the results show?
Contrary to common belief (based on cross-sectional data) that cognitive abilities peak in early adulthood around your 20s and decline steadily afterward, the study found that:
Cognitive skills improved well into people’s 40s before showing relatively small declines in literacy and more pronounced declines in numeracy.
Declines occurred primarily in people who used their cognitive skills infrequently. Those who regularly engaged with literacy and numeracy tasks in their life maintained or even improved their abilities over time with no real drop-off.
People with high levels of education and people with mentally stimulating jobs showed little to no decline in skills, even into their 60s.
In other words, if you frequently practice cognitively demanding activities—whether at work or at home—you may not experience the typical age-related cognitive decline seen in cross-sectional studies. In contrast, rarely engaging in literacy or numeracy tasks may be associated with declining skills from your mid-30s, consistent with the pattern typically established by cross-sectional work.
This is a hopeful perspective: cognitive skills don’t necessarily deteriorate with age—they deteriorate with neglect. Making a conscious effort to engage in mentally stimulating activities may help preserve your abilities or slow down age-related decline for decades to come.
⭐️ Takeaway tips
#1. Keep learning, no matter your age
Engaging in intellectually stimulating new life challenges—picking up new hobbies, learning languages, staying in touch with emerging technologies, etc—may help to maintain cognitive sharpness well beyond middle age. Cognitive decline is common, but it may not be inevitable. Avoid the assumption that you’re ever too old to learn something new, and tackle exciting challenges throughout your life.
#2. Prioritize mental engagement at work and home
Whether at work or in your personal life, find ways to incorporate important cognitive skills into your daily routine. You don’t necessarily need “brain training” apps or expensive products—just keeping track of finances, examining graphs, writing regularly, or reading challenging material can all give your brain a beneficial dose of mental stimulation.
#3. Don’t assume decline is inevitable
It’s common to assume cognitive decline is unavoidable based on personal experiences with elderly relatives or widespread narratives in the news, but emerging research may be pointing in a more optimistic direction. Instead of letting an overgeneralized negative assumption deter you from engaging with difficult cognitive challenges as you age, remain open to opportunities that actively interrogate your skills.
“For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.”
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Very insteresting and very practice. I work with people from this age and it's really works.