Everwalkedtotheshopsonlytofindoncethereyou'vecompletelyforgottenwhatyouwentfor？Orstruggledtorememberthenameofanoldacquaintance？Foryearswe'veacceptedthatascatty（低能的）brainisasmuchapartofagingaswrink

　　Ever walked to the shops only to find once there you've completely forgotten what you went for？Or struggled to remember the name of an old acquaintance？For years we've accepted that a scatty（低能的）brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles（皱纹）and grey hair．But now a new book suggests that we've got it wrong．

　　According to the Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain，by science writer Barbara Strauch，when it comes to the important stuff，our brains actually get better with age．In fact，she argues that new studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s---much later than previously thought．

　　Furthermore，rather than losing many brain cells as we age，we retain them，and even produce new ones well into middle age．For years it's been assumed that brain，much like the body，declines with age．But the longest，largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise．

　　This continuing research has followed 6，000people since 1956，testing them every seven years．It has found that，on average，participants performed better on cognitive （认知的）tests in their late 40s and 50s than they had in their 20s．Specifically，older people did better on tests of vocabulary，spatial orientation （空间定向）skills，verbal memory and problem solving．

　　Where they did less well was number ability and perceptual （感性的）speed---how fast you can push a button when prompted （提示）．However，with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language，we are at our best at middle age and beyond．In short，researchers are now coming up with scientific proof of that we do get wiser with age．

　　Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with age．Older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions．It is thought that when we're younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world，but as we get older we've learnt our lessons and are sub-consciously aware that we