For a long time, it was believed that people lose interest in new things as they age. However, new research involving psychologists from the United States, Germany, and Japan challenges this myth: curiosity does not go away; it becomes more selective.
The researchers divided curiosity into two types: general curiosity (interest in everything) and situational curiosity (interest in a specific, meaningful topic). General curiosity does decrease with age, but situational curiosity increases after age 50. And this is good news: it helps maintain cognitive health and may lower the risk of dementia.
The study showed that the mature brain stops grabbing everything all at once, but responds strongly to topics that matter personally. This is called “theory of selectivity.” So if, in your 70s, you suddenly feel like taking a course in Scandinavian mythology, figuring out how a violin works, or starting a YouTube channel about jam—there is reason to be glad, because a living interest in life is an indicator of healthy aging.
