Old people are boring – truth or myth?
While you can split hairs and say, “it
depends on the individual,” it’s certainly a broadly accepted stereotype that
old people lead boring lives.
Stuck in Our Habits
Why? Basically, humans tend to fall
into a serious habit of doing the same thing repeatedly. You could even say
that a part of us is designed to be
boring.
Here’s what I mean. It’s a natural
instinct for us to not spend our
energy making conscious active decisions throughout the day. In fact, we make
about 35,000 decisions per day on autopilot. They take place
in our basal ganglia instead of the prefrontal cortex.
The reason is, we were built to
reserve our energy for fight-or-flight mode to survive in the wild. What’s more,
we’re designed to procrastinate to avoid any stressors in life.
The glaring problem? We’re not living
out in the wild anymore (most of us anyway, particularly if you’re reading this
article from your computer).
So, if our species is designed to
reserve energy and procrastinate on those adventurous plans you dream about, imagine
doing that for decades. Put another way, the longer you repeat your boring
habits the more stuck you become in those habits.
And when you’re stuck in a habit of
doing the same thing repeatedly (for decades), you’re more susceptible to other
outcomes that make you even more boring.
That’s right. Like not having anything
new or interesting to say.
Confined by Comfort
When you stay within the cozy walls
for your comfort zone, you don’t have anything new to talk about. Your
experiences and stories remain the same and you end up lacking something
stimulating to add to a conversation.
Which leads to that classic stereotype
of “old people repeat themselves.” Pretty boring on the receiving end, right?
What’s more is, your brain craves new experiences. To create new
neural pathways (which you can do until the day you die), you need new
experiences. Your neuroplasticity and cognitive health depend
on it.
Another side effect of being stuck in
rut is you become accustomed to your own opinions – and only your own opinions. You limit what your mind is exposed to,
which is also another way to not have anything interesting to say. Who wants to
hear your same opinion over and over again?
Boring Doesn’t Pertain ONLY to Older People
Not to worry, though. These
characteristics aren’t applicable to all seniors, and are, largely,
misconceptions spread by culture.
The truth
is: You can be boring at any age.
In fact, a study by Airbnb claims that women reach a
“peak boring” age at 35 (for men it’s 39). Supposedly, age 35 is when women are
least likely to do things like stay out late on a weekday, try a new hobby,
make a new friend, or book a spontaneous trip.
If you’re a woman in your 60s, and ready to make the most of your golden years, these activities are exactly what you should be doing if you want to live your ideal exciting and purposeful retirement lifestyle.
The problem? Here’s where culture
comes in. Culture trains you to be more sedentary as you age and pushes you to
fear the aging process altogether.
Take, for example, the sheer amount of TV seniors watch per week – although it’s down from the staggering 47 hours and 13 minutes for people aged 65+ that were recorded in 2020, according to data on Statista.com it’s still around 4.5 hours per day. And that’s without considering streaming services like Netflix or online browsing on phones, tablets and other devices.
Basically, culture trains you to stay
boring – which also means further procrastinating on your biggest dreams and
continuing to reserve your energy by living on autopilot.
Who Is Most Susceptible to Being Boring?
If you take a look at the root cause
of boredom, professor John Eastwood and team conducted a study out of York University in Canada that revealed there
are two very different personality types that suffer from boredom:
People Who Are Mentally Impulsive
The first group includes the mentally impulsive,
those who are chronically under-stimulated and always looking for new
experiences but don’t think the world is exciting enough.
People Who Are Afraid to Step Out of Their Comfort Zone
The second group consists of those who
aren’t satisfied with being comfortable, yet they’re chronically bored because
they’re too afraid to try something new.
For seniors, culture pushes you into
the second category. But, there’s good news – you don’t have to stay in that
category.
You Can Beat Boredom and Culture
Here’s what
you can do: Simply get out of your comfort zone.
In other words, seek new experiences.
Learn something new. Immerse yourself in new activities. Meet new people. Be
open-minded.
There are so many benefits to creating new growth experiences for yourself,
including:
- It’s
good for building neuroplasticity and maintaining your cognitive health. - It’s
exciting and gets you out of a rut. - It
increases your chance of meeting new people. - It’s
good for your mental and emotional health. - You’re
more likely to find something fulfilling and purposeful by challenging yourself. - You’re
less judgmental.
The gist of it is: The good stuff –
including not being boring – happens
outside of your comfort zone. So, stop procrastinating and claim your place!
You might just excite others in your social group to do the same.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What can you do (big or small) to step out of your comfort zone? What autopilot routine or habit can you break to create a growth experience for yourself? Please share your thoughts with our community!
