Ageing can seem like a scary prospect, but a wealth of scientific studies have found that youth isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There are plenty of cases in which human beings peak well into middle and old age.
Many of the points mark the middle of an age range that scientists have identified, which means they are all determined by averages.
Some are also surveys, not controlled trials, so there is a possibility the self-reports don’t capture the most accurate picture.
But in many cases, the numbers keep cropping up for a reason, which is that life isn’t a downhill slide from youth.
Linguists and psychologists are still arguing about this one, but it’s commonly accepted that learning a second language is easier for most people when they’re younger, generally before puberty.
One of the key ways cognitive scientists test your brain’s processing power is through what’s called a digit symbol coding test – they equate a number with a certain symbol, then give you a string of numbers and ask you to convert them to the correct symbols.