What is the Opposite of Dementia?

Understanding SuperAgers’ Remarkable Minds

Photo by Dominik Lange on Unsplash

This question came to me directly through email and it’s a great example of how to get attention on something you wonder about.

The question: “What is the opposite of dementia? Do you or the communicators in your community know why some of my friends past 60 have mental decline while others are becoming sharper, faster, and more brilliant than ever before? I’m talking about communicators who were already smart and accomplished, then their brains seemed to accelerate the other way while their peers experienced dementia.

I checked in with the brain science cohort in the GPC community to see if they noticed anything remarkable in writers, storytellers, and artists past 60.

SuperAgers and What Makes Them Special

A growing body of evidence suggests that the opposite of dementia might be found in what researchers term cognitive enhancement through creative engagement (CECE), a phenomenon documented in a 2023 meta-analysis in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. The analysis, reviewing 30 years of research, confirmed that creative practice isn't merely protective—it actively builds cognitive capacity throughout life.

A 2021 study by Northwestern University followed 24 SuperAgers for 18 months. These exceptional elderly adults:

• Scored better on memory tests than 55-year-olds.

• Could learn new skills (like using iPads or playing chess) as quickly as people in their 40s.

• Maintained their sharp thinking even under pressure, like when solving timed math problems.

What's most fascinating is that these SuperAgers don't just keep up with younger adults—in some areas, they actually perform better:

• Their vocabulary is typically 50% larger than people in their 50s.

• They're better at seeing the big picture in complex situations.

• They make fewer impulsive decisions, drawing on their lifetime of experience to find smart solutions.

This isn't just about having a "good memory." SuperAgers show us that some brains can stay young—or even improve—well into their 80s and 90s. It's like having a vintage car that somehow runs better than new models!

Photo by Theodor Vasile on Unsplash

Pop the Hood and Let’s Look at SuperAgers’ Remarkable Minds

Think of your brain like a smartphone. It handles memory (storage), processing (how fast it works), and multiple tasks at once. SuperAgers, who are 80 years or older, have brains that work as well as—and sometimes better than—people in their 50s and 60s. Here's what makes them special:

Memory Champions

• They can remember a story they heard yesterday as clearly as someone 30 years younger.

• They can quickly memorize a grocery list of 15 items and recall it perfectly an hour later.

• They remember details from past events with amazing clarity, like reciting exact conversations from years ago.

Quick Thinking Stars

• They can solve puzzles and brain teasers just as fast as middle-aged adults.

• They spot patterns and make decisions as quickly as people decades younger.

• They maintain sharp attention spans, easily following complex TV shows or books without losing track.

Photo by Chad Kirchoff on Unsplash

Writing as Cognitive Protection

Research suggests that engaging in creative activities serves as more than self-expression—it actively builds cognitive resilience. The act of writing, painting, or storytelling demands complex neural networks to fire simultaneously, creating what neuroscientists call "cognitive scaffolding."

In addition to you, here are other notable elder creative achievers:

Writers include Frank McCourt who published his first book, "Angela's Ashes," at 66, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and Laura Ingalls Wilder who published her first "Little House" book at 65, continuing to write into her 70s.

Visual artists who flourished later include Louise Bourgeois who created her largest and most ambitious installations in her 80s and 90s and Grandma Moses who began painting at 76, producing over 1,500 works before her death at 101.

Philosophers and thinkers include Immanuel Kant who published his major philosophical works after 60 and Mary Somerville who published mathematical and scientific works well into her 80s.

The Compounding Effect

Perhaps most intriguingly, creative practice appears to have a compounding effect over time. Unlike physical abilities that may decline with age, creative capabilities can expand through decades of practice. This might explain why some artists and writers produce their most profound work later in life—they're not just maintaining cognitive function, but building upon a lifetime of creative experience and insight.

The Mayo Clinic's 2022 research on cognitive aging revealed that individuals who consistently engaged in creative activities showed a 73% lower risk of mild cognitive impairment compared to those who didn't. This builds on findings from the 2018 National Institute on Aging study, which documented how creative engagement strengthens cognitive reserve—the brain's resilience against degenerative changes.

Three Great Reasons to Grow With Us In GPC

Creative practice builds resilience in these three ways:

1. Neural Cross-Training—Writing engages memory, language, and executive function simultaneously. Visual art combines spatial reasoning with fine motor skills. Storytelling exercises episodic memory and emotional processing.

2. Neuroplasticity Activation—Learning new creative techniques forces the brain to form new neural pathways. The challenge of mastering new skills promotes brain health. Yes, taking on the learning curve of a new platform, such as Substack, and adapting to tools and technologies that evolve (as you do) matters.

3. Emotional Processing—Older writers are more valuable because they have more life experiences and provide the authenticity that readers want, instead of ChatGPT. Creative expression helps to process life experiences. Great stories are emotional and that integrates past experiences with present understanding.

The Compounding Effect

Perhaps most intriguingly, creative practice appears to have a compounding effect over time. Unlike physical abilities that may decline with age, creative capabilities can expand through decades of practice. This might explain why some artists and writers produce their most profound work later in life—they're not just maintaining cognitive function, but building upon a lifetime of creative experience and insight.

This suggests that the "opposite of dementia" might be found not just in preserved cognitive function, but in the active cultivation of creative practices that build and maintain cognitive resilience throughout life. The evidence indicates that engaging in creative activities isn't just a way to pass the time—it's a vital investment in cognitive health that can pay dividends well into our later years.

Do you feel like you're on the edge of something amazing and you just can't figure out what it is? That's where I come in. My name is Georgia Patrick. I work with curious, intense, understanding professionals—still in practice and retired, to tap into their full potential and get extremely clear on their gift (their value) to individuals actively seeking such wisdom. It starts with an email. Maybe, later, a short call to make sure I understand you.

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