Studies indicate that we reach our mental and physical peak at different ages, which can vary according to the activity or skill in question.
swimmersand female swimmers, for example, peak in their early 20s, male and female weightlifters at 35, and male and female riders even later on average.
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As for creativity, peaks occur early in our careers or later, depending on how we think.
Our ability to absorb facts quickly peaks in our late teens, while our vocabulary skills peak around age 60.
The studies behind these numbers
Economists, sports scientists and psychologists have conducted performance analyzes Olympic, chess games and online quizzes to determine the average age at which people reach their mental and physical peak.
These studies aim to understand how our brain and body work and if there are lessons that can strengthen them.
The good news is that while we may be peaking in one area, chances are we are improving in another.
"At every age, we're getting better at some things and worse at others," says Joshua Hartshorne, professor Assistant Professor of Psychology at Boston College, who researches how various cognitive functions change with advancing age. age.
Factors that influence these differences
People reach their physical peaks at different times and for different reasons, according to studies.
The rapid contractions of the muscle fibers aid in speed and strength and are more prevalent when we are young people. On the other hand, the slow contractions of muscle fibers, which are related to resistance, predominate when we are older.
In addition, physical attributes also play an important role. Women tend to peak earlier than men who participate in high-intensity sports like swimming because of the less muscle mass they have to lose.
In the field of physical performance research, Rafal Chomik, an Australian economist at the Center of Excellence in Aging Research Population ARC, led studies of Olympic and professional athletes to investigate how performance varies with age at different sports.
In sports that require speed, strength, and maximum oxygen consumption, athletes tend to peak in their early twenties.
In endurance sports such as marathons, the peak is usually reached at age 40. In low-impact tactical sports like sailing and horseback riding, athletes still compete at excellent levels at 50.
