Is Change Common As We Grow Older? What Do You Think?

Mumbai-based gerontologist, Amruta Lovekar delves deep into why age has no role in making one rigid and that change is possible as we age. 

Mr. Kulkarni always wanted to take the same route for going for his monthly check-up. He refused to take any other route and even persuaded his family members to do the same. He just could not stand anyone taking a different route. No one from the family tried to suggest or argue otherwise. Why? Because there is a widespread belief that older adults cannot change. I once heard one of my relatives say “Don’t try and introduce something new to the older adult. He will not accept it”. But is it really true? Does old age bring with it inflexibility and rigid dogmas? Or is it just embedded in our minds that change is not possible as we age?

Yes, they can. 

I tried to find the answer to these questions. Why can older adults not change? Where has this premise come from? In Principles of Psychology, William James, who is widely known as the founder of American psychology states, that “In most of us, by the age 30, the character has set like plaster and will never soften again”.

A study published in 2018 titled “Sixteen going on sixty-six: A longitudinal study of Personality Stability and Change across 50 years”, was the first to study how personality changes over a period of fifty years relying on the same data at both points in time. In this study, personality is described as thoughts, feelings and behaviours consisting of five major traits: extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience and emotional stability which are found across ages and cultures. This study showed that broad patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours change but this change does not happen suddenly or all at once. Change happens or accumulates over a period of time in response to life experiences and often leans in a positive, mature direction. This study also shows that older adults whom we expect to be rigid and set in their ways can change.

This finding is very important as thinking of personality as fixed could lead us to feel that older adults cannot grow or also dismiss people with qualities, we do not like. This is what we do when we reject people when they do something, we do not approve of thinking that particular characteristics which they have will never change.

In Me, myself and Us: The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-being, 2014, Brian Little declared, that not only does personality change but we can also act opposite to our true selves when the situation calls for it. He has talked about neuroplasticity which is the ability of the brain to form new connections and pathways which tells us that changes in neural mechanisms underlying personality traits can be rewired with sufficient practice. Little emphasises that we are not stuck with our personality traits and we can control the traits that we are born with or possess.

Further, in another research done by the University of Edinburgh published in 2016, 1200 fourteen-year olds were studied at the age of seventy-seven also on six personality traits – self-confidence, conscientiousness, perseverance, desire to excel, originality and stability of moods. The main purpose of this study was to see how character traits shift in the same set of people over a long period of time. It was found that the younger and older self did not bear any resemblance to each other, which meant that personality had changed totally. So this premise that personality cannot be changed was again proved wrong.

Even Cicero, one of the greatest philosophers of the Roman Empire said that later years are not for passivity and it is a time for intellectual enrichment. It is a time for force of character which meant that behaviour could be changed for the better with reflection and proper judgment. He emphasised that old age should be a time when a person develops new interests or pursues life-long projects.

This is exactly what neuroplasticity tries to tell us. But it needs to be understood that neuroplasticity is linked to the growth mindset. In a growth mind set the person understands that talents and abilities can be developed through effort and persistence. He or she believes that they can get smarter if they work at something. We know that when we lift weights, our muscles grow bigger and stronger. When we stop exercising these muscles can shrink and grow weaker. Similarly, neuroplasticity tells us that when we practice any activity and learn new information, the brain changes and gets stronger just like a muscle.

Growth Mindset is needed

Along with encouraging a growth mind set, older adults need to know that the brain can actually grow and become stronger which in turn can boost learning and consequently result in change. So learning and change are connected. For an individual to change, conscious efforts have to be made. Activities have to be taken deliberately with intention.

Activities that spur change

What kind of activities need to be taken up to for growth and change in old age? Firstly, the brain will form new connections and networks only in enriched environments which are critical for promoting neuroplasticity. An environment where there is a challenge and new learning can provoke growth and positive adaptation. Secondly, travelling to new places is important as it exposes the brain to novel stimuli and new environments, opening up new pathways and activity in the brain. Thirdly, doing non-dominant hand exercises causes positive changes in brain function. Research has shown that training one’s hand, which is used less than the other, to carry out everyday tasks, leads to stimulating the brain’s cognitive and creative functions. Fourthly, reading fiction novels can improve and enhance connectivity in the brain. Fifth is dancing which also improves neural connectivity.

Creating artwork also enhances connectivity of the brain which can boost introspection, memory, empathy, attention and focus. So, research says that varied activities and not just repeating things but deliberately trying to improve one’s skills can help us learn and grow. I have always believed that there is a lot of potential in later life. My experience in India and in the West has shown that older adults, who actually attempt something new, although they might be rejected initially, are not only accepted but appreciated if they achieve what they have set out to do.

Older adults can change if there is an understanding regarding why change is required and if there is a deliberate attempt to do so. While being complacent with the belief that nothing is possible and no change can be achieved, older adults generally tend to waste their later years with thinking of the past and regretting what could have been. But overwhelmingly, research has shown that it is not just possible to change specific traits but also your personality only if you wish to and take active steps in that direction.