What’s the smartest age? - Shannon Odell

 

At what age are you smartest? Dig into how your brain development affects your skills at different stages of your life.

 

Tomorrow is the annual Brain Clash — a decathlon of mental challenges, trivia competitions, and puzzles. Amir needs a smart and capable teammate and must choose between three people; all of different ages and talents. So, who should Amir choose for the contest? Shannon Odell breaks down the idea of “smart” and explores how our brain development impacts our skills at various stages of our lives.

 

Lesson by Shannon Odell, directed by Biljana Labović.

 

 

Vocabulary

• narrow down : reduce the number of possibilities or options.
  "the company has narrowed down the candidates for the job to two"
• underestimate : estimate (something) to be smaller or less important than it actually is.
  "they have grossly underestimated the extent of the problem"
• undergo : experience or be subjected to (something, typically something unpleasant, painful, or arduous).
  "the baby underwent a life-saving brain operation"
• myelinated : (of a nerve fiber) enclosed in a myelin sheath.
  "the axons in the central nervous system are generally myelinated"
• flourish : (of a person, animal, or other living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.
  "wild plants flourish on the banks of the lake"
• prefrontal : in or relating to the foremost part of the frontal lobe of the brain.
  "the prefrontal cortex"
• jack-of-all-trades : a person who can do many different types of work.Prioritize : designate or treat (something) as more important than other things.
  "prioritize your credit card debt"

 

Questions

1. Do you learn slower as you age?
2. What age human is wisest?
3. Is intelligence genetic?
4. How can I get smarter fast?

 

 

---

 

Script: (00:07) What is the smartest age? Perhaps a day of friendly competition will lead us to the answer. Tomorrow’s the annual Brain Clash— ten teams of two competing in a decathlon of mental challenges, trivia competitions, and puzzles. I’ve been training all year. I’ll need to pick the smartest, most capable teammate.

(00:29) I’ve narrowed down the roster. First we have Gabriela. She may only be 8, but don’t underestimate her! She’s fluent in two languages and is the ultimate outside-the-box thinker. Then there’s Ama. She can recite 100 digits of pi, designs satellites for a living, and bakes a perfect soufflé. Or I could go with Mr. Taylor.

(00:51) He’s the best chess player in the neighborhood, not to mention he’s competed in over 20 Brain Clashes and is a five-time champion! I’m not sure who to pick! Who’s the smartest? Which of these teammates should Amir choose for tomorrow's contest and why? Of course, it depends. While intelligence is often associated with things like IQ tests, these assessments fail to capture the scope and depth of a person’s varied abilities.

(01:20) So instead, we’ll break down the idea of “smart” into categories like creativity, memory, and learning and explore when the brain’s best at each of them. Let's start at the very beginning. In the first few years of life, your brain undergoes incredible rapid growth, called synaptogenesis, where more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second.

(01:42) As the brain develops, it goes through a pruning process. Based on your experience and environment, used connections are strengthened and unused connections are removed. Frequently used neuronal pathways are myelinated, wrapped in a layer of insulation, allowing information to travel faster. This creates a more efficient, fine-tuned brain.

(02:05) But this brain remodeling happens within and between brain regions at different times, allowing different skills to flourish at different ages. For example, in childhood, brain regions involved in language learning develop quickly, which is why many children can learn and master multiple languages. Yet the prefrontal cortex, a brain region responsible for cognitive control and inhibition, is slower to develop.

(02:29) As a result, some young children may struggle with strategic games, such as chess or checkers, which require constant concentration, planning, and abstract thought. At the same time, children tend to be more flexible, exploration-based learners. They often use more creative approaches when finding solutions to riddles and are, on average, less afraid to make mistakes.

(02:51) But adults have their own unique set of abilities. Adults benefit from a well-developed prefrontal cortex, allowing them to better execute skills that require learning, focus, and memory, making them quick and efficient puzzle solvers or crossword masters. Late in adulthood, these same skills may decline as the brain’s memory center, known as the hippocampus, shrinks.

(03:13) But there’s a reason for the phrase “older and wiser.” After a lifetime of learning, older adults have more knowledge to recall and utilize, making them excellent trivia partners. Other factors that Amir should consider are his own strengths. As an adolescent, the prefrontal cortical regions of your brain are more developed than in childhood.

(03:34) This allows you to better navigate logic and math puzzles. Simultaneously, deep inside the brain, regions that are important in motivation and reward are developing even faster, driving teenagers like Amir to be curious and adventurous learners. In many ways, you can think of the teenager as a jack-of-all-trades, with brains wired to seek out new experiences and learn quickly.

(03:58) You’re at a dynamic stage, where the choices you make and the skills you focus on can actually guide the development of your brain. So, what’s the smartest age? There’s no single answer. It’s 8, 16, 25, 65, and everything in between; our brains have adapted to prioritize different skills at various ages to meet that stage of life’s challenges and demands.

(04:24) So no matter who Amir picks, having an age-diverse team is a good strategy. 

 

 

---

번역: 관웅 문 

검토: DK Kim 

(00:00) 우리는 몇 살 때 가장 똑똑할까요? 선의의 경쟁을 한번 해 보면 알 수 있겠지요. 내일 있을 올해의 두뇌 대격돌에서 두 명씩 열 팀이 참가하여 여러 가지 대결을 하는데 종목은 정신력 대결, 상식 퀴즈, 그리고 수수께끼지. 나는 일 년 내내 연습했어. 가장 똑똑하고 유능한 팀원을 뽑아야 해. 명단은 어느 정도 추려놨지. 첫째로는 가브리엘라. 여덟 살밖에 안됐지만 얕볼 수는 없지! 두 가지 언어에 유창하고, 창의적인 사고도 정말 뛰어나지. 그 다음은 아마야. 파이값을 백 자리까지 외우고, 위성을 설계하는 일을 하는데 수플레까지 완벽하게 굽는다고.

(00:49) 아니면 테일러씨도 있어. 동네에서 체스를 제일 잘 두는데, 두뇌 대격돌에 스무 번 넘게 참가한 건 물론이고 5번이나 우승했지! 누굴 뽑아야 할지 진짜 모르겠다! 누가 제일 똑똑할까? 아미르는 내일 대회에서 누구를, 왜, 팀원으로 뽑아야 할까요? 당연히, 그때그때 다르죠. 대개 지능은 IQ 검사 같은 것과 관련이 있긴 하지만, 이러한 평가들이 다양한 개인 능력의 깊이와 범위까지 측정하지는 못합니다. 그러면 ‘똑똑함’을 분류해서 창의력, 기억력, 학습력 등으로 나누고 뇌가 언제 각 영역에 가장 뛰어난지 살펴봅시다. 맨 처음부터 시작해보죠. 생후 몇 년 동안, 우리 뇌는 시냅스 생성이라 부르는 엄청난 속도의 성장을 하는데, 매초마다 백만 개가 넘는 신경 연결망이 새롭게 형성됩니다.

(01:42) 뇌가 발달하면서는, 가지치기 과정도 진행됩니다. 여러분의 경험과 환경을 바탕으로 해서 사용된 연결망들은 강화되고 그렇지 않은 것은 제거되죠. 자주 사용되는 신경 경로는 말이집을 형성하는데, 절연층으로 둘러싸여 정보가 더 빨리 이동합니다. 이렇게 해서 뇌는 더욱 효율적이고 민감해집니다. 하지만 이러한 두뇌 변화는 두뇌 각 영역의 내부와 사이에서 다른 시점에 발생하기 때문에, 각 연령대에 따라 피어나는 능력이 다릅니다. 예를 들어, 아동기에는 언어 학습과 관련된 뇌 영역이 빠르게 발달하는데, 많은 아이들이 여러 언어에 통달할 수 있는 건 이 때문이죠. 반면 전전두엽 피질은 인지 조절과 억제를 담당하는 영역인데, 발달이 비교적 느립니다.

(02:29) 그래서 일부 어린이들은 체스나 체커 같은 전략 게임을 어려워 하기도 합니다. 이들에는 지속적인 집중, 계획과 추상적 사고가 필요하기 떄문입니다. 반면에, 아이들은 더 유연하고, 탐구하면서 학습하는 경향이 있죠. 아이들은 수수께끼를 풀 때 더 창의적으로 생각하고 보통은, 실수해도 신경을 덜 씁니다. 한편 성인들도 고유한 능력들이 있습니다. 어른들은 잘 발달된 전전두피질 덕분에, 학습력, 집중력, 기억력이 필요한 기술들을 더 잘 사용할 수 있어서 빠르고 효율적으로 수수께끼를 풀거나 십자말풀이를 할 수 있습니다. 성인기의 끝 무렵, 이런 능력들은 쇠퇴할 수 있습니다.

(03:10) 해마라고 하는 뇌의 기억 중추가 위축되기 때문입니다. 하지만 ‘나이 들면 현명해진다’는 말이 괜히 있는 말이 아니죠. 일생에 걸친 배움을 통해 노인들은 떠올리고 활용할 지식이 더 많아서 최고의 상식 퀴즈 동료가 됩니다. 이제 아미르가 고려해봐야 할 것은 자신의 강점이죠. 청소년으로서 전전두피질은 유아기 때보다 더 발달해 있습니다. 논리나 수학 퍼즐을 푸는 데 더 유리한 거죠. 동시에, 뇌의 깊은 한 구석에 동기와 보상을 담당하는 영역은 훨씬 더 빠르게 발달하여 아미르 같은 십 대들을 호기심 넘치고 모험적인 학습자로 만듭니다. 여러 면에서 십 대들은 팔방미인이라고 볼 수 있습니다.

(03:54) 그들의 뇌는 새로운 경험을 찾아나서고 빠르게 배울 준비가 되어 있습니다. 십 대는 역동적인 단계에 있습니다. 어떤 선택을 하고 어떤 기술에 집중하는지가 실제로 뇌의 발달 방향을 결정합니다. 그럼, 우리는 언제 가장 똑똑할까요? 정해진 답은 없습니다. 여덟 살, 열여섯, 스물다섯, 예순다섯 살도 될 수 있고 그 사이 언제든지 가능하죠. 우리 뇌는 인생의 각 단계에서 필요로 하는 것에 따라 각기 다른 능력을 우선시하도록 적응해왔습니다. 

 

(04:24) 그러니 아미르가 누구를 선택하든지, 팀의 연령대가 다양한 것이 좋겠죠.