{"id":23911,"date":"2025-05-08T19:49:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T19:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=23911"},"modified":"2025-05-08T19:49:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T19:49:37","slug":"how-curiosity-can-keep-your-mind-sharp-as-you-age-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/how-curiosity-can-keep-your-mind-sharp-as-you-age-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"How Curiosity Can Keep Your Mind Sharp as You Age, Study Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">An international team of psychologists, including experts from UCLA, has found that specific forms of curiosity increase with age and may help older adults prevent Alzheimer&#8217;s disease and dementia. The study highlights the importance of staying curious to ensure successful aging.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What if the key to successful aging lies in maintaining a sense of curiosity? According to recent research by an international team of psychologists, including several from UCLA, the answer is a resounding yes. Their study, <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article\/authors?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0320600\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in PLOS One, reveals that certain forms of curiosity can increase well into old age and may even help prevent Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The psychology literature shows that oftentimes what&#8217;s known as trait curiosity, or a person\u2019s general level of curiosity, tends to decline with age,&#8221; senior author Alan Castel, a UCLA psychologist, said in a news release. &#8220;But we thought that was a little bit strange and went against some of the things we saw in some of the older adult participants in our experiments, who would often be very engaged and interested in learning about memory, specifically, but even other forms of trivia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The researchers divided curiosity into two types: trait curiosity, which is a person&#8217;s general level of inquisitiveness, and state curiosity, a momentary sense of curiosity about specific topics. They speculated that while trait curiosity declines with age, state curiosity could remain steady or even increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To explore this hypothesis, the researchers conducted a study involving participants aged 20 to 84, who completed an online questionnaire assessing their curiosity levels. To measure trait curiosity, participants answered general questions about their levels of interest in various subjects. For state curiosity, participants guessed answers to challenging trivia questions and rated their interest in learning the correct answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The results showed that while trait curiosity declines over the adult lifespan, state curiosity increases sharply after middle age and continues to rise into old age. This finding mirrors research showing a dip in happiness during midlife and suggests that older adults become increasingly selective about what they choose to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Our findings fit with some of my work on selectivity theory, which is that as we get older, we don\u2019t want to stop learning, we\u2019re just more selective about what we want to learn,&#8221; added Castel. &#8220;You see this in the context of lifelong learning: A lot of older adults will go back to take classes or pick up hobbies or engage in bird watching.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This research offers valuable insights into aging, indicating that sustaining curiosity is crucial for mental sharpness. Castel cited his own research showing that people tend to forget information that doesn\u2019t engage their curiosity, indicating that a focused, selective curiosity might help older adults retain important information while discarding less relevant details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;As we get older, maybe we want to be focused on the things that are important, and we forget the things that are less relevant,&#8221; Castel added. &#8220;Anecdotally, a lot of older adults I speak to say that it&#8217;s important to stay curious.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study posits that maintaining state curiosity can lead to more successful aging, suggesting that the curiosity to learn and engage in specific interests can stave off cognitive decline and keep the mind sharp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Castel summed it up, &#8220;I think it shows that this level of curiosity, if maintained, can really keep us sharp as we age.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With support from institutions like the National Institutes of Health\u2019s National Institute on Aging, the Leverhulme Trust and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, this research underscores the significant role curiosity could play in aging successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:11px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ucla.edu\/releases\/curiosity-can-help-brain-stay-sharp-as-they-age\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of California, Los Angeles<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What if the key to successful aging lies in maintaining a sense of curiosity? According to recent research by an international team of psychologists, including several from UCLA, the answer is a resounding yes. Their study, published in PLOS One, reveals that certain forms of curiosity can increase well into old age and may even [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[202],"class_list":["post-23911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","tag-ucla"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"What if the key to successful aging lies in maintaining a sense of curiosity? According to recent research by an international team of psychologists, including several from UCLA, the answer is a resounding yes. Their study, published in PLOS One, reveals that certain forms of curiosity can increase well into old age and may even&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23911"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23965,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23911\/revisions\/23965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}