Do we get smarter with age or is it merely wisdom?

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   pagesvoiceposted 12 years ago

   Do we get smarter with age or is it merely wisdom?
   
   I guess my question is relative to different stages of life. When we're younger we constantly learn new things and facts to help us graduate into adulthood. Then there are our twenties and thirties, but life really starts taking on a whole new meaning once we reach our fifties. For me, ego, pride and being defined by my career is no longer a priority in life. So is that wisdom or have I just gotten smarter?

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   JThomp42posted 12 years ago

   I really do think the older we get the wiser we get. They say with age comes wisdom. In my opinion, everything we experience in life (good or bad) makes us that much wiser. Smarter? I'm not sure.

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      gramon1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Most of the people that lead countries into wars, companies into bankrupcy, nations into deficits, etc. are over sixty. Where is the wisdom in that?
      Wisdom is for those who learn from the past and use their experiences for the betterment of others

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   MickSposted 12 years ago

   As I get older, I seem to be wiser; however, I've become distinctly more nearly scruffy in the way I dress.

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   gramon1posted 12 years ago

   If you contine learning and adapt to the world, you become wiser. In the areas in which you do this, you will be more knowlegable. However, many older people think that they are wiser without having a real understanding of the current world. We live in a world where all the information is available somewere on the net. Therefore, in today's world, being wise entails knowlege of the ciber-world. Are you internet saavy? Do you use Google, medlink, and other data banks to support your information? Do you use Google Analytics and Amazon.com research. Young people today have very different problems than we did. Today's world is very complex and fast changing. Today's wisdom has to be very adaptive.
   The ancient wisdom acquired in monasteries and sought by ascetics is as irrelevant today as alchemy.  I think of wisdom as the ability to use the available information to create a better environment.

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   LauraGSpeaksposted 12 years ago

   I don't think the older you get the smarter you get.  With passing years comes various experiences that give us a different perspective than we had when we were younger.  In some cases that "perspective" can be seen as wisdom.

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      Larry Wallposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think you have gotten to the root of the subject. With age comes experience and even though we are out of school, we do keep learning. But it is the experience of the things we did right, the mistakes we made & things we see add to our "wisdom/

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      Billie Kelpinposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, I do think you can increase the activity in your brain.  The more dendrites you create by doing things differently, or learning new things, the more pathways you create to make more synapes fire and make more connections.

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   Amber Vynposted 12 years ago

   It seems that our level of intelligence stays constant in our adult life. However, as we age we begin to use different parts of our brains. For example, a group of people in their 20s and a group of people in their 60s can complete the same tasks in the same amount of time and with the same level of accuracy. However, they'll use different parts of their brains to accomplish the task.
   
   I agree that the 'mellowing' that comes with age certainly makes life sweeter!

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   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   Wisdom mostly, but also smarter if you wish. Yes, we continue to learn, but we use our experiences to gain knowledge so we are wiser for our future, yet that is if we want to use our knowledge. Still difficult question... I don't entirely know how to define smart.

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   ImKarn23posted 12 years ago

   Hmmmm...good question!
   I believe the journey of life would expect us to grow wiser along with older - after all - experience is the essence of living - and learning - i believe..
   sadly - there are those who refuse to learn - even if you beat them over the head with fact, figures and fotos..(lol) - therefore - growing smarter is not always garnered in one - or two lifetimes..
   nor is wisdom..
   those who seek intelligence and wisdom - gain it - those who don't - won't..
   i believe the more self-absorbed(narcissistic) one is - the less one evolves in either arena..
   take a look around us - the proof is in the greed and madness - where ego and pride define a person - there is very little room for learning or wisdom..

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   kalkidan62003posted 12 years ago

   It is relative. As a person becomes older, the idea is that they learn from their mistakes (wiser) and in turn not make those same mistakes again (smarter). But personally I don't believe a person who is older is necessarily smarter or wiser. Every person learns different things and goes through different experiences at different ages.

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    petenaliposted 12 years ago

    I believe that wisdom is the correct application of knowledge in a given circumstances.  The old saying goes, "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad!"
    Therefore wisdom is what we should strive for.  We all know people who are knowledgeable but not wise in how they live their life.
    Start reading the book of Proverbs to understand how important wisdom is...

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    Deepes Mindposted 12 years ago

    It certainly is wisdom that comes with age. But also with age comes a shift in perspective and priorities

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    Mitch Alanposted 12 years ago

    I believe the the "intelligence" or "smartness" of an individual is an intrinsic part of who they are and is fairly set in the proverbial stone. We are constantantly increasing in knowledge, though some more than others. These are the "facts and figures" we accumulate through life. My grandfather always use to say, "If your not careful, you might learn something." Our ability to utilize those "facts and figures" and to logically comprehend them come from honing our "intelligence" as a tool for "understanding". You can know a fact without understanding it's importance or application. This is problem many seem to have. Knowledge without reason, understanding and context is often worse than no knowledge at all. So, all that to say this...we can get wiser and more knowledgeable, but not more intelligent.

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       gramon1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Wisdom and true knowledge are intrinsic to intelligence. The accumulation of data without analysis is neither wisdom, nor knowledge.

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       Mitch Alanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Understood, which is why I denoted "facts and figures" and contrasted the difference between having them and properly utilizing them...

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       pagesvoiceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Now that I'm in my 60s I find I have more questions than answers. I've known many with advanced degrees and not an iota of social grace nor the ability to exercise common sense.

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    wellspokenposted 12 years ago

    wisdom comes with age because of experiences. we become smarter with age as well because we learn to learn from mistakes and not make the same ones over and over.

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    liesl5858posted 12 years ago

    I do believe as we get older we become wiser and smarter. Because when I was younger I loved going to school to learn things which is the bases of my knowledge now but even now that I am older I still have the thirst for learning new things like hubbing. I am still learning how to use my windows 8 laptop.

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    phillippeengelposted 12 years ago

    Of course we don't become smarter as we age...the vulnerability to diseases due to our weaker immune system when we are old makes it all the more intractable to retain our knowledge of academic matters. There is an increase in wisdom when we are old, but an improvement in intelligence may not always be commensurate with the trend.

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    Abby Campbellposted 12 years ago

    I think that is definitely wisdom, but I do believe we get smarter as the years go by. Well, at least we have potential of becoming smarter. I am 45, and I have my nose in a book all the time. I know I'm learning new things; therefore, I hope I'm getting smarter. But, I definitely believe that wisdom comes when you realize what is really important in life.

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       Mitch Alanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I would say you are wise for becoming more knowledgeable...

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    Healthy Mikeposted 12 years ago

    They say wine gets better with age so to some extent, i would say it's merely wisdom. You cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Your brain cells age with the rest of the body organs and therefore you can not get any smarter. The knowledge accumulated over the years makes you a good source of reference by the young at heart but it's generalized.Well, that's how i see it...

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    cynthiaalburo0322posted 12 years ago

    Being old does not make us wiser, even a great person and intelligent makes him  stupid when he is sinning. human wisdom can be acquired through reading, a true wisdom will only comes from God.

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    Insightful Tigerposted 12 years ago

    My mother had a saying about this "mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo" which means "the devil knows more from being old than from being the devil". I think knowledge comes from time or age but wisdom comes from reasoning, discernment, and experience.

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    Barine Sambarisposted 12 years ago

    Age comes with more experience and experience i would say is wisdom.

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    Anjiliposted 12 years ago

    Somebody said "Old is gold". My bet is because we gain more knowledge as we age. We also get wise with time coupled with all the varied experiences we go through in life. Very few old people make very silly mistakes. We are thereafter, able to make better informed decisions compared to a fellow who is still wet behind their ears. You have automatic respect for every senior citizen, and you know they deserve it. Why?

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       Anjiliposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Insurance people will tell you "a youthful person tends to be risky hence draws higher premiums, while on the other hand, an elderly person is tempered and less likely to get into trouble"

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