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Summary
Summary
A leading science writer examines how the brain's capacity reaches its peak in middle age
For many years, scientists thought that the human brain simply decayed over time and its dying cells led to memory slips, fuzzy logic, negative thinking, and even depression. But new research from neuroscientists and psychologists suggests that, in fact, the brain reorganizes, improves in important functions, and even helps us adopt a more optimistic outlook in middle age. Growth of white matter and brain connectors allow us to recognize patterns faster, make better judgments, and find unique solutions to problems. Scientists call these traits cognitive expertise and they reach their highest levels in middle age.
In her impeccably researched book, science writer Barbara Strauch explores the latest findings that demonstrate, through the use of technology such as brain scans, that the middle-aged brain is more flexible and more capable than previously thought. For the first time, long-term studies show that our view of middle age has been misleading and incomplete. By detailing exactly the normal, healthy brain functions over time, Strauch also explains how its optimal processes can be maintained. Part scientific survey, part how-to guide, The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain is a fascinating glimpse at our surprisingly talented middle-aged minds.
Author Notes
Barbara Ellen Strauch was born in Evanston, Illinois on May 10, 1951. She received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley. She worked for newspapers in New England, Venezuela, and Houston before becoming a senior editor at New York Newsday. She ran the Newsday team that won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of a midnight subway derailment in Manhattan that left five passengers dead and more than 200 injured.
After New York Newsday ceased publication in 1995, she was hired by The New York Times. She worked on the national desk, edited business coverage of the New York metropolitan area, and was media editor. She joined the paper's science department as an assistant editor in 2000. She became health editor in 2004 and science editor in 2011. She wrote two books about the brain entitled The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids and The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind. She died of breast cancer on April 15, 2015 at the age of 63.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Your mind is getting older, but it's also getting (mostly) better, argues this very comforting treatise on the aging brain. The bad news, according to New York Times health editor Strauch (The Primal Teen), is that, as we sail past our 40s, the brain slows down a mite and occasionally forgets names and loses its train of thought. The good news is that it more than compensates with experience and know-how, improved verbal and spatial skills, brilliant intuitions, and "sustained wisdom-ness." The even better news, Strauch notes, is the improvements in brain function that flow from health regimens ranging from exercise (huge benefits) to drinking red wine (uncertain benefits) to chronic semistarvation (what was that about wine?) right into old age. And forget those myths about midlife crises and empty-nest syndromes: the middle-aged mind, the author insists, is at its peak of both competence and contentment. Sprinkling in conversations with graying but vigorous brain researchers who double as role models, Strauch gives a breezy rundown of developments in neuroscience that shatter the received picture of inevitable mental stagnation and decline. Her mix of intriguing pop-science and reassuring pep talk should win her hopeful message an avid readership. (Apr. 19) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Along with bulging waistlines and graying hair, declining mental faculties have long been seen as an inevitable drawback of middle age. When New York Times science editor Strauch first began research for this follow-up to The Primal Teen (2004), her book on adolescent intelligence, faltering midlife brain fitness was considered a given. To her pleasant surprise, her forays into contemporary neuroscience revealed a reassuring discovery. Aside from usual short-term memory lapses of forgetting names and mislaying keys, the middle-aged brain is more vigorous, organized, and flexible than has been previously believed. In 11 easily digested chapters, Strauch overviews the latest findings of high-tech brain scans and psychological testing that demonstrate cognitive expertise reaching its peak in middle age. Although distractions and oversights may more easily prey on the mind, the continued growth of myelin (or white matter) increases problem-solving skills, pattern recognition, and even wisdom. Supplemented by a section on keeping one's brain in top shape, Strauch's work proffers a welcome dose of optimism to every aging baby boomer.--Hays, Carl Copyright 2010 Booklist
Table of Contents
| Introduction: The Changing Landscape of Middle Age | p. xiii |
| Part 1 The Powers That Be | |
| 1 Am I Losing My Mind?: Sometimes, hut the Gains Beat the Losses | p. 3 |
| 2 The Best Brains of Our Lives: A Bit Slower, but So Much Better | p. 12 |
| 3 A Brighter Place: I'm So Glad I'm Not Young Anymore | p. 28 |
| 4 Experience. Judgment. Wisdom.: Do We Really Know What We're Talking About? | p. 41 |
| 5 The Middle in Motion: The Midlife Crisis Conspiracy | p. 54 |
| Part 2 The Inner Workings | |
| 6 What Changes with Time: Glitches the Brain Learns to Deal With | p. 69 |
| 7 Two Brains Are Better Than One: Especially Inside One Bead | p. 91 |
| 8 Extra Brainpower: A Reservoir to Tap When Needed | p. 104 |
| Part 3 Healthier Brains | |
| 9 Keep Moving and Keep Your Wits: Exercise Builds Brains | p. 125 |
| 10 Food for Thought: And a Few Other Substances, as Well | p. 144 |
| 11 The Brain Gym: Toning Up Your Circuits | p. 170 |
| Epilogue: A New Place for Better, Longer Lives | p. 191 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 199 |
| Sources | p. 201 |
| Index | p. 221 |
