3 ms·

It's hard being human. A lot of cognitive ability peaks before age 25[1], physical before 35[2], and to some extent it's an inexorable downward slope from there

by Nition 9mo ago

It's hard being human. A lot of cognitive ability peaks before age 25[1], physical before 35[2], and to some extent it's an inexorable downward slope from there. Accumulated experience often makes up for it, but only to a point. You still won't be as good as the version of you that started earlier, or learned faster. People reach 40 and finally start exercising and eating properly and miraculously feel 25 again - there are always ways to fight it. But they'd have been even more effective with the same habits at 25. Life is stressful. There is fear of failure, there is fear of disappointing others, and ultimately there is fear of death. And that final deadline doesn't even have the courtesy to let us know when it will come. But many people get nothing much done without a deadline. Most get more done with some time pressure. I'm not sure how we would manage immortality. If we lived twice as long, would we work half as fast? One hopes that for a little while at least, we manage to be happy and content with what we have. [1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4441622/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4441622/ [2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17717011/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17717011/

cannonpr 9mo ago
If what you value most is performing IQ tests, or competitive chess, then yes there is good data on the 25 part. If what you value is complexity and richness of thought, not so much.
resonious 9mo ago
Honestly if I exercised and ate perfectly from 20-29 I would've had a miserable 20s. Doing high-discipline stuff like that is way easier when you have a material reason (i.e. you've actually felt the consequences of not being fit or healthy) compared to when people just tell you "do it! you'll really thank yourself for it 20 years later!". Being in perfect physical condition at the cost of the psychological stress of forcing myself to do stuff I don't want to do every day does not sound worth it.
- fc417fc802 9mo ago
  > forcing myself to do stuff I don't want to do every day If you make it over the initial hump of developing the habit it just becomes an expected part of your day. The dislike evaporates. Skipping it feels weird.
  - resonious 9mo ago
    Maybe I'm just a baby, but I actually have done routine exercise for long periods (sometimes months, sometimes years) and stopping felt AWESOME.
    - fc417fc802 9mo ago
      Fair enough. That is most definitely not normal but I believe you that it's just how it is for you. It's the same thing with any given medication - it will work for most people most of the time but not for everyone all of the time.
- eucyclos 9mo ago
  The trick is to tie your sense of identity to being a badass with more than enough self control.
ekianjo 9mo ago
Most people are complete dumbasses at 25. (I include myself at 25 in that assessment) So if this is peak intellectual capabilities something does not add up.
- Nition 9mo ago
  It's the lack of experience, essentially. See this chart from the study I linked: https://i.imgur.com/zhR6NC1.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/zhR6NC1.jpeg Things that rely on experience peak at a much higher age, but the pure mental stuff peaks earlier.
  - youoy 9mo ago
    To me that graph seems to say that the pure "subconscious" stuff or "ML similar" stuff peaks earlier, but comprehension peaks much later. So you perfect your tools in the brain at around 25, but then it takes another 20 years to really know how to use them correclty.
taurath 9mo ago
That’s one way to think about it. For me personally, a single evening with even driven and dedicated 25 year olds makes any claims of a downward slope like you describe laughable. At best, they’ll know one thing sort of well at that age. Most of the interesting stuff happens when you synthesize a lot more experience, and have the appreciation for time and wisdom to utilize it well. Whats the average age of startup founders, like 45? Average age of authors first books like 36-42. Give me a break with that hustle culture.
eucyclos 9mo ago
Your last paragraph brings to mind an insult from a fictional culture where the very wealthy and powerful can live indefinitely: "<minor villain> has grown nothing. And he has planted nothing". Such a perfect summation of the attitude of a culture with lots of time

by Nition 9mo ago

cannonpr 9mo ago

If what you value most is performing IQ tests, or competitive chess, then yes there is good data on the 25 part. If what you value is complexity and richness of thought, not so much.

resonious 9mo ago

Honestly if I exercised and ate perfectly from 20-29 I would've had a miserable 20s. Doing high-discipline stuff like that is way easier when you have a material reason (i.e. you've actually felt the consequences of not being fit or healthy) compared to when people just tell you "do it! you'll really thank yourself for it 20 years later!". Being in perfect physical condition at the cost of the psychological stress of forcing myself to do stuff I don't want to do every day does not sound worth it.

fc417fc802 9mo ago
> forcing myself to do stuff I don't want to do every day If you make it over the initial hump of developing the habit it just becomes an expected part of your day. The dislike evaporates. Skipping it feels weird.
- resonious 9mo ago
  Maybe I'm just a baby, but I actually have done routine exercise for long periods (sometimes months, sometimes years) and stopping felt AWESOME.
  - fc417fc802 9mo ago
    Fair enough. That is most definitely not normal but I believe you that it's just how it is for you. It's the same thing with any given medication - it will work for most people most of the time but not for everyone all of the time.
eucyclos 9mo ago
The trick is to tie your sense of identity to being a badass with more than enough self control.

ekianjo 9mo ago

Most people are complete dumbasses at 25. (I include myself at 25 in that assessment) So if this is peak intellectual capabilities something does not add up.

Nition 9mo ago
It's the lack of experience, essentially. See this chart from the study I linked: https://i.imgur.com/zhR6NC1.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/zhR6NC1.jpeg Things that rely on experience peak at a much higher age, but the pure mental stuff peaks earlier.
- youoy 9mo ago
  To me that graph seems to say that the pure "subconscious" stuff or "ML similar" stuff peaks earlier, but comprehension peaks much later. So you perfect your tools in the brain at around 25, but then it takes another 20 years to really know how to use them correclty.

taurath 9mo ago

That’s one way to think about it. For me personally, a single evening with even driven and dedicated 25 year olds makes any claims of a downward slope like you describe laughable. At best, they’ll know one thing sort of well at that age. Most of the interesting stuff happens when you synthesize a lot more experience, and have the appreciation for time and wisdom to utilize it well. Whats the average age of startup founders, like 45? Average age of authors first books like 36-42. Give me a break with that hustle culture.

eucyclos 9mo ago

Your last paragraph brings to mind an insult from a fictional culture where the very wealthy and powerful can live indefinitely: "<minor villain> has grown nothing. And he has planted nothing". Such a perfect summation of the attitude of a culture with lots of time