Attitudes and aging, part III: Gaining wisdom

We all know that baby boomers are getting blamed for bankrupting Social Security for future generations. But we aren't all bad. Did you know that we are also being held responsible for lowering the crime rate, according to a recent article in the LA Times?

"We have a growing population over the age of 50," James Fox, a University of Boston professor, was reported as saying. "And every day, as they grow older, the crime rate benefits."

Is it because we aren't as lean or mean? Or perhaps we are less subjected to those arousing hormones coursing through our veins?

I suspect it is because we are, as the saying goes: older and wiser.

Many studies have shown that sticking around long enough on this Earth almost automatically gifts you with being wise. But there might be more to it than just a good rap. I recently heard a lecture by renowned research psychologist Dr. Gisela LaBouvie-Vief in which she said, "Mature adulthood brings an integration between rationality and emotional understanding." She defined this as wisdom.

It does occur to me that the longer we hang out on this earthly plane the more we have the benefit of seeing how things turn out. And this does give us some advantages.

Walking the walk, talking the talk, making mistakes, even repeating those mistakes over again over time -- that is what gives us the perspective that is the requisite ingredient of wisdom.

At some point, however, most of us seem to develop some concern about the possibility of decreasing mental powers. Yet the research shows that except for some problems with short-term memory there are some definite benefits to minds that have been around the track a few times.

An American Psychological Association report said, "Studies have shown that older adults are better at solving problems, more flexible in their strategies, and better able to keep their cool during a crisis than younger people are. They also tend to bounce back from a bad mood more quickly."

Not a bad trade-off, if you ask me, for not being able to retrieve a few words here and there.

Yet the truth is, not all of us of a certain age are exactly in possession of the perspective that begets wisdom. As Abigail VanBuren said: "Wisdom doesn't automatically come with age. Nothing does, except wrinkles."

Remember, wisdom requires perspective, an ever-expanding vision, one that gains breadth and depth over time. Trouble is that for some, time narrows their focus, as they get lazier and less curious about life. For these pseudo-wise types, assumptions -- a system of rationalizations -- substitute for real wisdom.

According to Dr. Labouvie-Vief, aging minds will often encounter difficulty with modulating complex emotional situations. They rely more and more on stereotypical thinking. "Fear is the enemy of wisdom," she said, "because it shrinks our understanding into simplified schemas, or stereotypes."

If we are intent on developing the attitude of wisdom in our later years, Labouvie-Vief suggests that we not only engage in the intellectual exercises we are all doing to keep our minds from turning to mush, but also engaging in "emotional practices." Those who strive to see life from "both sides now" are more likely to possess wisdom.

Another wisdom-making practice to add to our list is humor. Nothing can give more perspective to our experience than humor, and it is hard to imagine wisdom that is derived from our life's experience without it. Besides, without humor, our attempts at wisdom could seem pompous. And there is nothing more aging than pomposity.

Remember Oscar Wilde, that wise and witty guy, said, "I am not young enough to know everything."

~ Dr. Michael O.L. Seabaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, is a clinical psychologist who lives and works in Santa Barbara, Calif. Contact him at mseabaugh@semissourian.com.