Headline May 31, 2018/ ''' ! PIT STOP 40 ? '''

''' ! PIT STOP 40 ? '''

I'M  NOT THRILLED ABOUT looking older. But what unsettles me the most about the 40s is the implication that I am now a grown-up myself.

I fear I've been promoted beyond my competence.

What is a grown up anyway? Do they really exist? If so what exactly do they know? Will my mind ever catch up with my face?

And brain research shows that in the 40s, just about every task gets harder. We're more easily distracted than younger people, we digest information more slowly and we're worse at remembering facts.

THE ABILITY TO remember names peaks in the early 20s. And you know you are in your 40s when you've spent 48 hours trying to think of a word, and that word was ''hemorrhoids''.

But there are upsides, too. What we lack in processing power we make up for in maturity, insight and experience.

We're better than younger people at grasping the essence of situations, controlling our emotions and resolving conflicts.

We're more skilled at managing money and explaining why things happen. We're more considerate than younger people. And, crucially for our happiness, we're less neurotic.

Indeed, modern neuroscience and psychology confirm what Aristotle said more than 2,000 years ago when he described men in their ''primes'' as having -

''Neither that exceeds of confidence which amounts to rashness, nor too much timidity but the right amount of each. They neither trust everybody nor distrust everybody, but judge people correctly.''

I agree. We've actually managed to learn and grow a bit. We see the hidden cost of things. Our  parents have stopped trying to change us. We can tell something is ridiculous. And other minds are less opaque.

The seminal journey of the 40s is from ''everyone hates me'' to ''they don't really care.

Even so, the decade is confusing.

We can finally decode interpersonal dynamics, but we can't remember a two digit number. We're at or approaching our lifetime peak in earnings, but Botox now seems like a reasonable idea.

We're are reaching the height of our careers, but we can now see how they will probably end.

And this new age is strangely lacking in milestones.

Childhood and adolescence are nothing but milestones : You grow taller, advance to new grades, and get your period, your driver's license and your diploma.

Then in your 20s and 30s your romance potential partners, find jobs and learn to support yourself. There maybe promotions, babies and weddings.

The pings of adrenaline from all these carry you forward and reassure you that you're building an adult life.

In the 40s, we might still acquire degrees, jobs, homes and spouses, but these elicit less wonder now.

The mentors and parents who used to rejoice in our achievements are preoccupied with their own declines. If we have kids, we're supposed to marvel at their milestones.

The Honor and Serving of the latest Operational Research  on Life and Living continues continues.

With respectful dedication to all the Mothers of the world. And then the Leaders, Students, Professors and Teachers.

See Ya all ''register'' on wssciw.blogspot.com - The World Students Society. for every subject in the world and-

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'''Thrills & Frills'''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless