Superager Secrets: Keep Your Mind Sharp Past Age 80
Learn how superagers defy cognitive aging. Who knows? You might become one too.

Superagers seem to have cracked the code that enables them to maintain the brain health of much younger people. Even as they pass their 80th birthdays and beyond, they stay sharp. What do superagers have to teach the rest of us?
The science in this area is still developing, and experts say they don’t yet have a specific recipe to follow, but there are some clues. By definition, superagers are at least 80 years old and have the cognitive abilities of someone about 30 years younger.
“I don't think that there has to be one pathway to superaging,” says Emily Rogalski, head of the SuperAging Research Initiative, which is based in Chicago and enrolls people in multiple states and in Canada. “Some people may have had a luckier roll of the dice with the genes handed down to them from their parents, while others may have made lifestyle choices that are more important for their trajectory.”

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Superaging rules: start with the basics
Generally, the standard rules apply: Get enough sleep, exercise and a healthy diet. But there are exceptions.
For example, experts recommend eating healthy foods like the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. But Rogalski says that while that’s true for many, some superagers love to eat hamburgers and fries.
Similarly, while studies have shown a strong relationship between cognitive and physical abilities, Rogalski says, “Anecdotally, I can tell you that some of our superagers need a wheelchair or a walker, but their memory is pristine, while others have great physical function and are biking hundreds of miles a week or doing high intensity water aerobics.”
Social connections matter
Some factors have emerged as particularly important. Among them are connections with other people, especially younger people.
“We do know that intergenerational interactions are really good,” says Lee Lindquist, chief of the Division of Geriatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “One of my favorite patients said, ‘I try to talk to a new person every day.’... Always making new friends is a great way of keeping your brain active.”
Adds Lindquist: “If you're active and you're socializing, your brain is getting stronger, but if you're not interacting with people, it's just going to go to fudge.”
Stacy Andersen, who co-directs the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, recommends avoiding isolation by finding new social networks as you lose other connections.
Stay excited about life
Lindquist also advocates active learning. This is “not just reading a newspaper or a book, but actually reading something and then talking about it, whether that's with your spouse or a book group or people around you. That's been shown to really work the brain as a muscle.”
One idea Lindquist says she has seen is a walking book club, where people talk about their books while on a walk.
Andersen says, “maintaining a purpose in life, a reason to get you up in the morning and get you excited about each day, really seems to be a consistent factor in longevity, but also in avoiding Alzheimer's disease.”
Andersen says she did a small pilot study that found that centenarians work about 10 years longer than their peers. It's not clear if working exercises the brain or if healthy brains enable work. “That's another thing that we're looking into is why do people stop working? We want to know how their cognition changes after they retire. And then, kind of similarly, why do people stop driving?”
Yaakov Stern, a neuropsychology professor at Columbia University Medical College, says exposure to certain chemicals and difficult life experiences can negatively affect cognition later in life.
But Rogalski says many superagers have persevered through traumatic experiences, such as surviving the Holocaust or losing a child at a young age. Their resilience and adaptability serve them well in their later years when they lose the ability to lean on their peers.
Are you a superager? Join a study or take a test
Get screened to participate in:
The SuperAging Initiative: https://haarc.center.uchicago.edu/join-our-research/
Email: superagingresearch@uchicago.edu
Phone:773-795-1111
The Centenarian Study: www.bumc.bu.edu/centenarian/radco/
Email: agewell@bu.edu
Phone: 1-888-333-6327
Bonuses:
Here’s a website to help plan your life ahead: www.planyourlifespan.org/
Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Retirement Report, our popular monthly periodical that covers key concerns of affluent older Americans who are retired or preparing for retirement. Subscribe for retirement advice that’s right on the money.
Read More
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
Elaine Silvestrini has worked for Kiplinger since 2021, serving as senior retirement editor since 2022. Before that, she had an extensive career as a newspaper and online journalist, primarily covering legal issues at the Tampa Tribune and the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey. In more recent years, she's written for several marketing, legal and financial websites, including Annuity.org and LegalExaminer.com, and the newsletters Auto Insurance Report and Property Insurance Report.
-
How to Invest as the AI Industry Grows Up
Here’s where to find the winners as artificial intelligence transitions from an emerging technology to an adolescent one.
-
I’m 62 and worried about Social Security’s future. Should I take it early?
A Social Security shortfall may be coming soon. We ask financial experts for guidance.
-
I’m 62 and Worried About Social Security’s Future. Should I Take It Early?
A Social Security shortfall may be coming soon. We ask financial experts for guidance.
-
How Much Income Can You Get From an Annuity? An Annuities Expert Gets Specific
Here's a detailed look at income annuities and the factors that determine your payout now and in the future.
-
Your Paycheck Stops in Retirement, But Your Life Doesn't: An Expert Guide to Planning for a Confident Future
Social Security will replace only about 40% of your salary, on average. A solid financial plan will help you plug the gap so you can rest easy in retirement.
-
Are You Jeopardizing Your Future to Help Your Adult Kids? An Expert Guide for How to Not Do That
If your adult child needs financial help, of course you want to provide it, but crafting a plan that also protects your financial and emotional well-being is vital.
-
Inherited a House? Here's How to Decide What to Do With It
When you inherit a property, the decision to keep, rent, or sell can feel overwhelming, especially when emotions are involved. Here's what you need to consider.
-
I'm a Financial Planner: Here Are Some Long-Term Care Insurance Tips for Every Age
Strategies include adding riders to life insurance for younger individuals and considering hybrid or traditional long-term care policies for those in their mid-50s and 60s.
-
Engineering Reliable Retirement Income in 2025: An Expert Guide
For dependable income, consider using a bucket strategy and annuities in tandem to promote structure, flexibility and peace of mind.
-
Crazy Markets Shouldn't Derail Your Retirement if You Follow This Financial Pro's Plan
Being nervous about retiring in a volatile market is a red flag that you're relying too heavily on your investment portfolio, rather than a comprehensive plan.