When it comes to technology, older generations are not as savvy. And it makes sense – they didn't grow up with a tablet or a smartphone in their hands. However, people aged 65 and older are more immersed in technology than they have ever been, as the number of older folks who use tech has grown in the past decade.
According to Pew Research Center's data from 2022, only 13% of people aged 65+ had a smartphone and only 11% were present on social media. In 2021, those numbers rose to 61% and 45%, respectively. YouTube is the most popular social media site among people of all ages, and 49% of those from the older generations used it most frequently in 2021.
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A common misconception is that the older you get, the less you want to learn new things. However, research shows the complete opposite. Older folks are more than eager to learn new things. As AARP's study in 2022 shows, 55% of adults aged 45 and older are actively learning new things. Most are motivated by curiosity, practicality, and the cognitive benefits that learning brings.
Many older adults know that learning helps them stay sharp, as it maintains or even enhances neuroplasticity. Yet, they also admit that there are obstacles to learning later in life that they don't always control. Some say (26%) that it's too expensive to learn a new skill or follow a passion project. But another important barrier to learning for older adults is often ageism.
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Ageism can work both ways: some older folks internalize their age and are convinced they can no longer learn new skills. Others are made uncomfortable by those around them who say that there's an age limit on learning something. 16% of the respondents in the AARP survey said their age makes them feel uncomfortable, and 7% said they feel outside pressure when trying to engage in learning. Active learners are also more likely than those who are not currently learning to say fear of ageism is stopping them from trying out new things (18% vs 13%).
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Just because there is a will to learn, doesn't mean it's easy. As we age, it becomes more and more difficult to retain new information. Essentially, our brains forget the info we don't need or use for a long time (here's for not needing to learn how to ride a bike twice, huh?). But with older people, this ability diminishes, and the old information hinders our attempts at learning new things.
Pernilla Andersson, a cognitive neuroscience researcher at Örebro University, explains that in older people with memory issues, the pathways between different parts of the brain diminish in quality and carry information more slowly. "These connections are important for different brain regions to communicate with each other," she says. "When the quality is lower, it can affect how efficient and fast the communication is."
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Interestingly, older people may be more altruistic in their rationale for learning than younger people. According to a 2021 study by researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford, older people tend to learn faster when it benefits others and not themselves. "When making choices that give positive feedback – money – to another person, older adults are just as good as younger adults," senior author of the study, Dr. Patricia Lockwood, explained.
