Wisdom!

[timelets]

Arguably, ageing population doesn't necessarily make the world wiser, but it definitely makes it less open to new experiences.

Comments

[vityokr]

Wisdom was measured with the SAWS (Webster, 2003, 2007), a 40-item questionnaire reflecting the following five components of wisdom (sample items are italicized): Critical life experiences: “I have experienced many painful events in my life”; Reminiscence/reflectiveness: “Reviewing my past helps me gain perspective on current concerns”; Openness to experience: “I like to read books which challenge me to think differently about issues”; Emotional regulation: “I am very good about reading my emotional states”; and Humor: “Now I find that I can really appreciate life’s little ironies.” Participants respond to each question using a Likert type scale where 1 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree.

[timelets]

It's a start. People used to wave hands a lot when they talked about wisdom before. Now, we can see whether certain components make sense or not.

[vityokr]

How seriously would you take the IQ test that consisted of 40 questions phrased around 'Do you think you are smart?' and 'Do others think you are smart?'

[timelets]

I think they are still figuring out factors and techniques that can be relevant to the field. In any case, now we can have a meaningful conversation about the validity of their measurements. The good news is that the problem they are trying to address is important for the society as a whole.

[naukarus]

no correlation at all

[timelets]

I think it shows that people don't get wiser with age beyond a certain threshold.