Another Gift of Older Age: Grit

Baby Boomers are tougher than Millennials. They have more grit. Although this sounds like a rank generalization, there are studies that show it’s true. Given it’s a given, the question is, why? 

Angela Duckworth, PhD., acknowledges it’s hard to define and measure grit. Nevertheless, she developed her own definition and then studied the quality in various age groups. She wanted to know if grit is due to the way a demographic is raised (self-reliant or entitled), or a natural outcome of maturity.

Dr. Duckworth, a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, is the author of the book, GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance .

Duckworth says her research indicates that grit seems to develop with age.

“I’ve discovered a strikingly consistent pattern: grit and age go hand in hand. Sixty-somethings tend to be grittier, on average, than fifty-somethings, who are in turn grittier than forty-somethings, and so on…”

Older folks have gone through more and lived to tell about it, so they have their experience to draw from, whereas youth hasn’t. This makes sense. Occam’s Razor and all that. Besides, it’s a kinder explanation than grumbling, “Kids today. Grrr.”

“This knowledge could revolutionize how we think about older workers in what Anne-Marie Slaughter calls ‘phase three.’ Slightly slower-moving silverbacks may have more passion and perseverance, not to mention perspective, expertise and emotional equanimity, than younger (people)..we may actually get more productive, not less, as we get older—even if we can’t pull all-nighters like we used to.”

BTW, I love the term silverback, even though it refers to a type of ape.

Here’s an uplifting thought from the article:

“As our knees and hips and eyesight deteriorate, we become more dependable, less impulsive, kinder, and less moody. Psychologists call this the maturity principle.”

While I can’t agree with the generalization about dependability or kindness–plenty of younger people are that way, while elders may not be–I do know from my own reading and experience that maturity smooths us out a bit, yet another benefit of aging.

If you want to read the complete article, it’s here.