Why growing old is great

But what if this could be life-saving? The flu pandemic was the deadliest in human history, killing 50 million people. But it was most lethal for those usually thought of as fit and strong, aged from 20 to The swine flu outbreak followed the same bizarre pattern, with most fatalities in those under the age of Older people's immune systems produce less antibodies - and that can be a good thing Credit: Science Photo Library.

A healthy immune response relies on positive feedback — when a pathogen is found, the surrounding tissues release chemical messages, called cytokines, asking for help. As cells arrive on site, they are encouraged to release the chemicals too, encouraging even more cells to arrive.

But sometimes the loop gets out of control, killing healthy cells and leading to potentially fatal inflammation. While the ultimate causes of allergies are still hotly debated, all are mediated by antibodies. The main culprit is Immunoglobulin E and like all other antibodies, its production diminishes with age.

In the 30s there is another resurgence until people get into their 50s and 60s when the symptoms tend to get less common. Yet in a number of vitally important abilities, older brains actually turn out to be smarter. Those plagued by allergies could look forward to later years with less serious symptoms Credit: Science Photo Library. Michael Ramscar from Tubingen University says we have misunderstood how the brain ages. The Seattle Longitudinal Study has followed the mental abilities of 6, people since Nerve signals are insulated by a fatty material, myelin, which envelops the wiry ends of neurons.

Not so. Several studies have shown that older people have more — and better — sex than you might think. Tara Saglio, a relationship therapist based in London, puts this down to older women having fewer insecurities.

She led a study that followed people ages 18 to 94 for a decade and found that they got happier and their emotions bounced around less. Such studies reveal that negative emotions such as sadness, anger and fear become less pronounced than in our drama-filled younger years.

Cornell sociologist Karl Pillemer and co-workers interviewed about 1, older people for the book 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest American s. Scientists are finding the mind gets sharper at a number of vitally important abilities as you get older.

For example, people over aged 65 vote at a higher rate than any other age group according to data from the U. Census Bureau. They also volunteer at a high rate. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that one in four U. A Smithsonian Magazine article described a number of recent studies demonstrating the emotional and intellectual benefits of aging. One study described in the article showed that seniors have better control over their emotions than other age groups.

The findings indicated that seniors have have superior empathetic and social abilities. The study said:. While seniors may have acquired better social skills than their younger peers, they can be vulnerable to isolation. Read our blog about helping seniors avoid social isolation to make sure that these skills have a chance to shine. But we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.