
How to Become a ‘Superager’ - walterbell
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/opinion/sunday/how-to-become-a-superager.html
======
apsec112
"Many labs have observed that these critical brain regions increase in
activity when people perform difficult tasks, whether the effort is physical
or mental. You can therefore help keep these regions thick and healthy through
vigorous exercise and bouts of strenuous mental effort."

Woah woah woah there. That doesn't follow at all. Even if you buy the
"exercise model" \- which can't possibly be tested by observing brain activity
over minutes, since improvement would happen over weeks to months - that
doesn't imply an ability to ward off old age over decades. In the case of
literal muscle exercise, for example, playing pro sports will certainly
strengthen your muscles now but likely cause long-term injuries.
[https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/public-
healt...](https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/public-
health/sports-related-concussions-head-injuries-what-does-research-say)

~~~
smhost
I'm sorry, can you clarify your point? What is the problem with the idea that
difficult tasks (both mental and physical) help to prevent atrophy in a
certain part of the brain?

~~~
Baeocystin
Because although it sounds like something that would make sense, the science
does not actually support that conclusion.

[https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-brain-training-
work/](https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-brain-training-work/)

The tl;dr is that brain training makes you better at that one particular task.
Whether that carries over to anything else is unknown. It is considered a
useful technique only insofar as that it is easy to do, and we don't have a
lot of other options to try anyway. But actual, measured benefits are
difficult to find.

I am not against it as a concept. But much more research needs to be done to
see if it has any actual value beyond the simple joy of doing such things.

~~~
smhost
The essay you linked seems to be a non-sequitur. Berrett suggests in the
original article that performing a difficult task increases activity in the
cingulate cortex, which might help to prevent aging. The essay you linked
merely says that neuropsychological training probably doesn't make people
generally smarter.

Becoming smarter and preventing aging are two different goals.

~~~
Baeocystin
Look at the paper linked in the overview that I posted.

[http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal....](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0040588)

~~~
smhost
I did look at that paper. Here is a quote from that paper:

> Based on this review, all three approaches to computerized training –
> classic cognitive training tasks, neuropsychological software, and video
> games – appear to hold promise for improving cognitive abilities in
> cognitively normal, community-dwelling older adults who have a higher risk
> of cognitive decline as they age.

~~~
Baeocystin
Yes. And note the sample sizes given a sentence further down.

The two best had an n of 12 and 8, respectively.

That's why they said 'appears'. It's suggestive, but the amount of available,
good-quality data is surprisingly small.

~~~
smhost
Those are numbers of studies. It's a meta-analysis.

~~~
Baeocystin
Then I am apparently mistaken. Thank you for pointing it out.

------
estefan
> In the United States, we are obsessed with happiness. But as people get
> older, research shows, they cultivate happiness by avoiding unpleasant
> situations.

Someone asked a few days ago what the best habit was that HNers developed last
year and what the health benefits were. I realised I shouldn't do things
because I thought they'd make me happy, and it has changed everything. Put
another way, I don't only do things I think I'm going to enjoy any more.

It's an incredibly powerful mindset to not have an expectation of happiness or
enjoyment as an outcome of an action. I used not to do a lot of things because
I couldn't see the point or because I thought I wouldn't like them. Now I do
those things anyway, more just to see what they're like rather than because I
expect to enjoy them. I do things to see what actually happens instead of
limiting myself to my own preconceptions.

Most of the time, I'm right, and I don't enjoy those things, but that's OK.
They're still showing me different aspects of life and allowing me to exercise
arguably our most innate gift, the ability to _experience_. There have been a
few surprises though. I've taken up sports I'd previously discounted, and now
I've stuck with them long enough I can see the appeal. I'm learning a musical
instrument and get much less frustrated because I see the learning process as
just training my brain, a function of time and effort. There's no point in
being frustrated.

Now I just view experiences as things to be experienced, without requiring
anything more of them. This means there's less pressure on me and on them to
give me anything. My attitude to them and awareness of them is more important
than deriving happiness and enjoyment.

Now I've written that it reads like zen, but when I practiced zen it was
because I wanted to be happy from it. The thing with learning is it's not
enough to have the knowledge. You need the insight to really internalise
something. It's that "A-ha!" moment. I guess I arrived at the same conclusion
as the Zennists from a different direction. Only doing things you think will
make you happy is just a way too limiting mindset.

It really has been a complete revolution in my approach to life. I can't
recommend it enough. And it looks like this attitude will keep my brain
healthy too.

~~~
tgb
Can you give some examples?

~~~
estefan
What sort of things do you want examples of?

This approach opens you up to far more opportunities. Say you have a spare
weekend and you aren't sure what to do with it, but feel like going out. You
could use the opportunity to try something you wouldn't normally do: go to an
event on something you know nothing about, or even on a subject you don't
really like. When you're there, find people who are really into the subject
and try to understand from them why they like it. Maybe you'll see what they
see, maybe you won't. But this curious mindset will pay dividends if you need
to be creative, or develop rapport with people, or just want to see what's out
there.

I'd had some things going on and wanted a holiday. So I went on my own. I went
out to bars on my own, which I wouldn't have done before because I'd have
thought I'd have a had a rubbish night. But I ended up meeting a few people,
then a few more and had an amazing night. I realised that it was down to me to
make the effort to have a good night, so I started speaking to the people
around me.

There are so many opportunities every day just waiting to be taken. I used to
close myself off from them because I wanted to somehow cherry-pick in advance
only those that would make me happy, or lead to 'good' outcomes. When you
remove that constraint, you become open to much more of life.

~~~
Agamus
I have rarely heard this insight and perspective put so well. I have often
"felt drawn to the bad" for the experience dividends and by the same
reasoning. In some ways, I have always tried to train myself to be drawn to
things I do not prefer. Lowering happiness expectations is a better way to
express this and gets you there quicker! I would take it further, and
recommend dropping all expectations, but I suppose at that point we arrive at
zen or taoism.

(Were we friends years ago on MBS?)

~~~
estefan
> I would take it further, and recommend dropping all expectations, but I
> suppose at that point we arrive at zen or taoism.

Yeah that's the natural extension of it, but I'm not quite at that stage yet
:-) I think with Zen, Taoism, etc. it's far better to reach the same insights
and realisations - have more "A-ha!" moments - than try to push yourself into
things before you want to do them and understand why. Most of those traditions
are just roadmaps to the territory (definitely useful, but maps all the same),
but I digress.

> (Were we friends years ago on MBS?)

I doubt it. MBS isn't ringing any bells...

------
stpapa
> This means that pleasant puzzles like Sudoku are not enough to provide the
> benefits of superaging. Neither are the popular diversions of various “brain
> game” websites. You must expend enough effort that you feel some “yuck.” Do
> it till it hurts, and then a bit more.

This sounds a lot like software development. We are constantly on the edge of
frustration.

Working on a complex problem can be at the same time exhausting and
satisfying.

Is this not a perfect example?

~~~
erikbye
From what I've read, experienced, and observed, it would seem novelty is the
crucial element in preserving and, even heightening, mental acuteness. Whether
you are a programmer or a chess player; that alone might not be sufficient--
you should always pursue novel activities. I tend to suggest music theory and
learning to play an instrument.

Programming and software development need not be complex, and indeed a lot of
programmers do not work on complex things, much of what they do is just
routine, and that will not be enough stimuli for your brain.

~~~
greenhatman
I think continuously becoming a better programmer is probably a good way to go
at this. If you can sprinkle in some traveling and learning another language
or to while you're at it, that would perfect. And maybe learn a musical
instrument as well.

That's my medium to long term plan, anyway.

~~~
throwaway91111
What does travel have to do with this? Seems awful expensive (for your wallet
and the environment) and unrelated to health.

~~~
shubb
Just went on a trip with my recently retired father.

The effect of a total change of routine, new experiences and challenges,
emotional experiences (stress, wonder, happiness), was huge.

It was the first time I saw him look alive in months.

In retirement, I think you cam get stuck in am easy, comfortable rut. As in
working age life but more so. Travel to novel places, with novel people, doing
novel things, can force you out of that rut. Probably worth remembering for
younger rutters as well.

~~~
erikbye
There is so much novelty one encounters when traveling, on multiple levels. I
definitely recommend everyone to travel and visit new places as much/often as
possible, even in their own country.

Of course, I'm not talking about candy tripping in Ibiza.

------
clumsysmurf
Also from this week :

"Previous studies have found that a person's lutein status is linked to
cognitive performance across the lifespan"

[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161213113142.h...](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161213113142.htm)

------
reasonattlm
Consider a world in which the cancer research community did nothing more than
evaluate how fast cancer killed people based on their lifestyle choices, while
onlookers nodded wisely and commented on the the minutiae of whether or not to
use a stationary bike when faced with a cancer diagnosis.

And yet for aging? Lunacy.

Is this not an age of biotechnology? People have very, very odd attitudes
towards the fatal medical condition known as aging that they do not bring out
for any other medical condition.

~~~
yegortimoshenko
I'm preaching to the choir, but for the sake of visibility — there is a very
inspiring fable that puts aging into another context:
[http://www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html](http://www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html)

~~~
siavosh
I'm curious if proponents of 'immortality' do not fear a world where there are
tremendous social (not to mention environmental) consequences to significantly
extended life/health-spans?

If you are under a certain age in any country (say <30) do you not feel like
you live in a world ruled by the conservatism and culture of an older
generation? These prior generations have the head start to protect their
status quo. Imagining every generation persisting on top of another, all sorts
of strange and dark likelihoods fill my imagination.

Most peoples' formative life views develop in a certain brief segment of their
lives, from which their subsequent experiences simply reinforce. It's sadly a
rare few that continually adapt and evolve their views with an open mind. A
population of 7 billion+ immortals where the vast majority are set in their
ways is terrifying, and being born into such an oppressive world would fill me
with dread.

~~~
kiba
_If you are under a certain age in any country (say <30) do you not feel like
you live in a world ruled by the conservatism and culture of an older
generation? These prior generations have the head start to protect their
status quo. Imagining every generation persisting on top of another, all sorts
of strange and dark likelihoods fill my imagination._

Just because they have a desire to protect the status quo does not actually
mean that they can protect the status quo.

 _A population of 7 billion+ immortals where the vast majority are set in
their ways is terrifying, and being born into such an oppressive world would
fill me with dread._

As opposed to having humans who can't remember the past because the experience
of the old generation passed away?

Those who don't remember the lesson of history are doomed to repeat it?

Yes, the world will be confronted with new problems that we don't have to deal
with before. We may have to seriously consider population control and other
measures.

But does anybody seriously want to go to the old status quo where old people
are given serious diseases like cancers, Alzheimer and heart attacks, where
they are forced to suffer until they finally die, often not of their own
choice?

~~~
siavosh
Some thoughts:

\- I can also imagine a world where the 0.01% continue to accumulate wealth,
they will certainly have a growing ability to protect their position. The
world has finite resources, when "immortality" is discovered will certainly
have an effect on wealth and power distributions.

\- I would argue many people today forget what happens to them/society within
years well within their lifetimes.

\- "Population control / other measures" \-- hence my dread.

\- I think improving quality of life is very different than extending it into
multi-generational periods.

~~~
yegortimoshenko
I don't think wealth accumulation is an issue. However, heritage is what
heavily contributes to wealth accumulation. With aging gone, and subsequently,
heritage heavily delayed, wealth distribution gap will become smaller, not
larger.

Life expectancy increases tend to decrease birth rate. And with Elon Musk
currently working on colonizing Mars, and seasteading making some progress,
there will likely be a lot of place to live in by the time we work out aging.
Actually, if both fail, there is a place for 6 billion more people on Earth.

You're afraid of your own prejudices about something that isn't even here yet.
And I don't understand your use of word "immortality": it is aging we are
discussing here, a condition that causes people to die, often in misery and
pain over long periods of time. I think it is a very humane, global, noble
cause, and I honestly don't understand how you can be so cynical about it.

~~~
kiba
For as so long we have a positive birthrate, we'll reach the point of using
all the energy that our local sun and technology can provide.

We'll have to consider population control.

~~~
yegortimoshenko
There are multiple issues with this idea. First, I just don't think you can
really tell that from this perspective. That's just thinking too far into the
future. This sort of argument is likely to look like a Great Horse Manure
Crisis of 1894 [1] to our descendants.

[1]: [http://www.historic-
uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Great-...](http://www.historic-
uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Great-Horse-Manure-Crisis-of-1894/)

Have you actually considered how many people it would take to use all energy
that sun and _future_ tech can provide? I'm sure no human being can give you
even a rough estimate.

It's not like solving aging will break markets. There's a balance between
supply & demand, which will indirectly regulate birth rate due to parenting
costs.

Universe is really vast, if not infinite. And when we have more people, alive,
and doing meaningful things while automation takes over menial tasks, it's
really going to make us tackle other problems faster, like transportation.

~~~
kiba
_Have you actually considered how many people it would take to use all energy
that sun and future tech can provide? I 'm sure no human being can give you
even a rough estimate._

It's an unimaginably large number of humans. Seven billion human beings is a
drop in the bucket as far as I am concerned.

 _Universe is really vast, if not infinite. And when we have more people,
alive, and doing meaningful things while automation takes over menial tasks,
it 's really going to make us tackle other problems faster, like
transportation._

There's only so much matters and so many stars in the universe. Granted, they
can last a stupendous long time, especially red dwarf stars.

Future technologies aren't something that can't be predicted entirely, but we
can only consider the laws of physics as we know of to constrain our
prediction.

Last time I check, there is no way to produce unlimited energy for eternity,
no way to defeat entropy. Until that happen, we'll have to consider population
control unless our numbers are stable or in decline.

------
jimmyswimmy
Summary: embrace challenges in order to "exercise" your brain. Learn a
language, play an instrument, etc.

------
thomasjudge
What is puzzling to me about this article is that it reads prima facie like a
science piece, it is actually from the NYT opinion page. What are we supposed
to conclude from that?

~~~
dekhn
It's more about the narrative than the actual science?

------
shae
Get out of your comfort zone, pursue novelty. I'm 45, I have all my hair. In
my 20s I taught myself the dvorak layout, In my 30s I learned mountain
unicycling and guitar, in my 40s I learned to knit and play drums. Learn new
skills, stretch your body and your mind. One day I'll learn how to use
semicolons!

------
snarf21
The science is already pretty clear about this. Learning new things creates
new pathways through the brain. The harder the tasks, the better. Once we
learn something deeply though it eventually becomes generalized and we go on
auto pilot.

The good news is that learning new things makes us mentally and physically
healthier. What did you learn today?

------
badloginagain
Super-ager, not super rager as I was reading. Really changes the context of
the article.

~~~
bryanrasmussen
Before I read the article I entertained the notion that it might refer to a
supe rager - someone that is enraged when people misspell soup as supe.

~~~
justinclift
Shhh, don't give Marvel Comics any more ideas. :D

It'll be a TV series about an angsty tween that doesn't fit in except their
one special "supe rager" power, and a movie to boot. ;)

------
tgfgvc
I think the most important difference is alcohol and other drugs use. And
pollutants. And bad diet.

Just think about brain damage that accumulates over 70 years.

------
autodidacticon
You must expend enough effort that you feel some “yuck.”

Perform the tasks that you would otherwise google. Good luck, half fun.

------
omegaworks
Good habits should feel good. Strange that we've evolved the opposite
physiological response.

~~~
austinsharp
Good habits tend to feel good afterward. Bad habits feel good now. I find that
thinking of my future self as a separate person that I can do nice things for
helps me feel the long term benefits more.

~~~
nhylated
>> I find that thinking of my future self as a separate person that I can do
nice things for helps me feel the long term benefits more.

Related: check this comment on reddit:
[https://reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/i_just_d...](https://reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/i_just_dont_care_about_myself/cdah4af)

That comment inspired a new subreddit which is quite popular now:
[https://reddit.com/r/nonzeroday/about](https://reddit.com/r/nonzeroday/about)

------
iopq
I'm already a super rager. According to this article, I may be a super ager as
well, since trying hard at games to the point that I get frustrated and angry
is what keeps me sharp!

