What’s the smartest age?

At what age did you know best? Maybe a friendly competition day will help us understand. Tomorrow is the annual clash of brains - ten teams of two compete in ten hours of brain teasers, trivia and puzzles. I train all year round. I have to choose the most intelligent and powerful friends. I have narrowed down the list. First we have Gabriella. Even though he is only 8 years old, don't underestimate him! He is bilingual and an out-of-the-box thinker. So Amma. He can count bees to 100 digits, design satellites for a living, and make the perfect soufflé. Or I can go with Teira. He is the most competitive gamer, and it goes without saying that he has participated in over 20 Brain Clash tournaments and is a five-time winner! I don't know who to choose! Who knows best? Which teammate should Amir choose for tomorrow's match? Why? Of course it depends on the situation. Although intelligence is often associated with things like IQ tests, these assessments do not capture the range and depth of a person's various abilities.

We then break down the concept of "intelligence" into areas such as creativity, memory, and learning, and explore how the brain performs in these areas. Let's start from the beginning. During the first few years of your life, your brain undergoes a rapid growth process called synaptogenesis, forming more than 1 million new neural connections every second. As the brain develops, a cut is made. Depending on your experience and environment, used links will be strengthened and unused links will be removed. The most commonly used nerve pathways are myelinated pathways, which are covered with a protective layer to allow messages to travel faster. This creates a better and purer brain. But this brain change occurs within and between brain regions at different times, allowing different skills to develop at different ages. For example, during childhood, the areas of the brain involved in language learning develop rapidly, so many children are able to learn and understand multiple languages.

However, the prefrontal cortex, the brain region responsible for cognitive control and inhibition, slows down. As a result, some young children may have difficulty playing strategy games, such as chess or checkers, which require sustained attention, planning and abstract thinking. At the same time, children are more likely to learn and explore. They use more creative methods when finding solutions to puzzles and, on average, are less afraid of making mistakes. However, adults have their own unique rights. Adults benefit from a developed prefrontal cortex, which allows them to perform skills that require learning, concentration, and memory better, faster, and better at solving puzzles, or as a crossword expert. During adulthood, these skills also decline as the brain's memory center, called the hippocampus, shrinks. But there is another reason why the term "old and wise" is used. After a long period of study, adults are more able to remember and use it, because they are very good as little partners. Another factor that Amir considered was his strength. During adolescence, the frontal lobe of the brain develops more than during childhood.

This will help you solve logic and math puzzles better. At this time, deep in the brain, critical areas for motivation and reward develop more quickly, encouraging young people like Amir to become motivated and educated learners. In many ways, you can imagine this young man as a jack of all trades, with a brain capable of seeking out new experiences and learning quickly. You are in a dynamic environment where the choices you make and the skills you focus on can guide your brain development. So, what is the most intelligent age? There is no single answer. Those are 8, 16, 25, 65, and all the numbers in between; our brains have adapted to prepare different skills at different ages to meet the challenges and needs of that part of the world. Therefore, having a team with different levels is a good strategy, regardless of who Amir chooses.