You know the saying, older and wiser? It turns out to be true…according to recent psychological research. A study out of the University of Michigan found that older people were more likely than younger or middle-aged ones to recognize that values differ, to acknowledge uncertainties, to accept that things change over time and to acknowledge others’ points of view.
And that makes Zoomers a lot better at dealing with conflicts and handling disagreements. It’s social wisdom.
Researchers say these age effects on wisdom hold at every level of social class, education, and IQ. And while they had expected wisdom to increase with age, they were surprised at how strong the results were for disputes in society. Here’s lead researcher Richard Nisbett.
This paper is a departure paper because it shows a major benefit that accrues with aging – as opposed to most findings that concentrate on the losses associated with aging. And it can have implications for the workplace because it suggests the importance of maintaining the opportunity for older employees to continue to contribute