I've been doing a lot of thinking about the relationship between creativity and aging. A couple of years ago, I read some papers by Professor Geoffrey Miller (http://www.unm.edu/~psych/faculty/lg_gmiller.html) that looked at the function of creativity. He concludes that creativity is a tool in the mating game, and shows that creative output generally peaks in the 20s.
Initially, this was a bit depressing to me since I've always enjoyed creative activites. I started to think, "why bother to create if I'm past my peak?" But then I started thinking about how athletic ability changes throughout the lifetime. Generally, people reach their physical peak in their 20s as well (though of course, not always). So does mean it's futile to exercise when you're older? Of course not.
I think evolution changes the default setting on the body from "growth" to "decay" sometimes in the 30s. This is when people start to lose muscle mass if they aren't strength training. Aerobic capacity also starts to decline.
But science has shown that if you continually challenge the body through strength and aerobic exercise, you can keep the body young. A person may not be able to roll the clock back 100% to their 20s, but you can do pretty well. And of course, exercise has many side benefits, such as feeling better and functioning better on a daily basis.
So I thought, "why not apply the same principle to creativity?" I definitely think there is a default switch for creativity as well, and that it turns off in the 30s. But again, if you can challenge the mind with youthful creative challenges, then maybe this helps the mind "stay young" as well.
I've been testing this theory by brushing off the pencils and doing some sketches. So far, my theory is holding up as I definitely feel more creative "juice" on a day-to-day basis.
There's no reason to think that both mental and physical aging can't be postponed/minimized by utilizing challenges. Challenges keep us young by signaling the body and mind to grow instead of decay.
