Are Older Women Wiser?
Wisdom is one of the guiding themes behind Ageless Possibilities. What does that mean? It means I am a seeker of wisdom. Occasionally, a reader will remark about the wisdom underlying my words. I wonder, am I wise? Well, I’m certainly more so than I used to be! Is wisdom synonymous with aging? Apparently not. Adults of all ages score equally well on wisdom scales. Wisdom is not just the purview of older people; at different points in our lives, we have different types of wisdom.
You may be wondering, are women wiser than men? While the research shows that there might be a slight difference between older women and men, wisdom does not correlate to gender.
So what is wisdom? Why do I feel wiser now than I did ten, twenty, and forty years ago? And why are some of the older women I know so wise?
Last year I took a course on the Science of Wisdom with Monica Franz, a retired therapist in Vancouver. Now, I am no expert on wisdom but let me share with you a few things I learned.
Wisdom is the capacity of judging rightly in matters related to life and conduct. The Berlin Wisdom Paradigm, which uses hypothetical vignettes to discern wise and unwise responses to life dilemmas, provides a good lens for looking at wisdom.
“A 15-year-old girl wants to get married right away,” one vignette suggests. “What should one/she consider and do?”
According to the Berlin group, a wise person would say something like this: “Well, on the surface, this seems like an easy problem. On average, marriage for 15-year-old girls is not a good thing. But there are situations where the average case does not fit. Perhaps in this instance, special life circumstances are involved, such as the girl having a terminal illness. Or the girl has just lost her parents. This girl may also be living in another culture or historical period. Perhaps she was raised with a value system different from ours. In addition, one has to think about her emotional state and how to approach her.” This reply reflects the many components of wisdom.
Components of Wisdom
Knowledge of the world and human nature; both the facts of human nature and the how of dealing with decisions and dilemmas
An appreciation of one’s historical, cultural and biological circumstances during a lifespan
Pro-social attitudes and behaviours
A fundamental sense of justice, fairness, and equity
Emotional homeostasis, self-regulation and resilience
An acknowledgement, at the level of both thought and action, of uncertainty
Critical thinking and memory
Self-reflection and understanding
Attitudes and beliefs that respond to life’s big questions
Empathy, humility, and humour
This course also introduced me to six common myths about wisdom.
Common Myths About Wisdom
Myth: Once we acquire wisdom, it is a permanent trait.
Wisdom may decline based on conditions such as memory and social engagement.
Myth: Wisdom is a function of intelligence.
Nope! Intelligence only appears to contribute 15% to wisdom.
Myth: Wisdom can be acquired by reading wisdom literature.
There is not a strong correlation between learning, enlightenment and wisdom. The capacity for self-reflection, tolerance of ambiguity, and emotional self-regulation are all more significant.
Myth: Wisdom is a consistent phenomenon across culture, geography, and history.
Wisdom may be of universal importance, but what constitutes wisdom varies across cultures.
Myth: Wisdom is an inevitable outcome of trauma, adversity and suffering.
Research is divided on this one.
Myth: Solitude is a significant factor in the development of wisdom.
What you do with that solitude matters more than solitude itself.
I certainly feel wiser now for having learned about wisdom!