Posted by Jack
Thanks to Business Insider we have the following scientific tidbits for your amusement. . .
Learning a second language is easiest when you’re around 7 or 8.
Linguists and psychologists are still very much arguing about this one, but it’s pretty commonly accepted that learning a second language is easier for most people when they’re younger, before puberty.
Brain processing power peaks at 18.
One of the key ways cognitive scientists test your brain’s processing power is through what’s called a digit symbol coding test — they set each number equal to a certain symbol, then give you a string of numbers and ask you to convert them to the correct symbol. On average, 18-year-olds fare best on the task, according to a study published last year.
The ability to remember unfamiliar names peaks around 22.
We’ve all been there: You just met someone new and their name went in one ear and out the other. It turns out that’s least likely to happen when you’re 22 or so, according to a 2010 study.
Life satisfaction peaks at 23.
I guess “Everything will be alright if we just keep dancing like we’re 23” just didn’t have the same ring to it. A survey of 23,000 people in Germany found that 23-year-olds were particularly satisfied with their lives, “all things considered.”
Strength peaks at age 25.
Your muscles are at their strongest when you’re 25, although for the next 10 or 15 years they stay almost as hefty — and this is one of the traits that can be most easily improved, thanks to resistance exercise.
The peak age to settle down is 26.
The theory is at 26 you’ll have met enough people to have some solid options without waiting so long they start pairing off without you. And according to one recent study, divorce rates are lowest for couples who married between the ages of 28 and 32, which follows pretty smoothly after getting serious at 26.
The average fast marathoner is 28.
According to one analysis of fifty years of marathons, the average age to run one in 2 hours 11 minutes or less is 28. But that’s partially because of who chooses to run marathons — as unusually young and unusually old runners win medals, they’re inspiring others their age to train and run.
Bone mass peaks around 30.
Your bones are at their strongest and densest when you’re 30 years old. Again, you can keep your calcium and Vitamin D intake high to keep your bones healthier longer, but eventually they will start to weaken anyway.
Bone mass peaks around 30.
Your bones are at their strongest and densest when you’re 30 years old. Again, you can keep your calcium and Vitamin D intake high to keep your bones healthier longer, but eventually they will start to weaken anyway.
Arithmetic skills peak at 50.
Sure, you learned your times tables in elementary school — but it turns out 50-year-olds are best at answering arithmetic questions on the fly.
Vocabulary peaks in the late 60s or early 70s.
It turns out people’s scores on multiple choice vocabulary tests keep climbing into their late 60s and early 70s. And you don’t even need to sit around reading the dictionary all day to make it happen. Although it can’t hurt.
Life satisfaction peaks again at 69.
Remember that study in Germany that found 23-year-olds were particularly satisfied with their lives? After a dip in middle age, life satisfaction peaked again around 69 years old. Even more intriguingly, actual life satisfaction was higher for people over 60 than people 55 and up had predicted they would feel five years down the line.