interesting article, if true...
the brain begins changing again after age 40...could it be an explanation of the mid-life crisis? Or of why elders are often considered sages or wiser than the young?
Your thoughts?
The brain undergoes a great "rewiring" after age 40
What is the brain does is forward integrate our memory/experience, which leads to a state of mind more advanced than intellect, which is the wisdom of age.
When we are younger we seek new experiences to gain data; rebellion. But like science, we end up generating more data than we can consciously process. At a certain age, the brain starts to rewire itself and process this linear and rational data; 2-D into spatial; 3-D; forward integrating.
This forward integration process gives us a better long term perspective, in which to see the common data of human life. One becomes less governed by the short term thinking needed to gain new data and more impacted by a longer term view needed to apply this data.
This is often the age when careers place people in areas of responsibility, due to their experience and ability to anticipate. It also is when parents have older children who may need a vision of their adult future; stage of life, so they can become better aligned with this change in their future; wise choices even before their wisdom appears.