Ever wonder if you've passed your peak? No, we're not talking about the current state of your physique or even your hairline. We're talking about your mental peak.
It's a loaded question that PBS Braincraft set out to answer in the video above.
Einstein basically said that you're smartest before you're 30 -- and if you haven't achieved greatness by then, well, good luck. But how do you even measure intelligence we wonder? Is it about how much you've learned or about how well you can apply what you've learned to solve problems? Is it all about your IQ score? Or is it a measure of life experience?
Series host Vanessa Hill says it's a variety of things. "Intelligence has lots of definitions and it can be tricky to measure," she told The Huffington Post in an email. "We have different types of intelligence, so we are better at things like problem solving when we're younger, say in our 20s, and we gain more knowledge and facts about things as we grow older. I think the point where these two types of intelligence meet is in our early thirties. Of course, this age can be different for different people. Sometimes trying to answer questions scientifically raises even more questions!"
Some studies have shown that your intelligence peaks in your late 30s or early 40s, the video says. Things then sort of level out until your mental abilities start to decline in your late 50s and early 60s. Einstein might have been right for his time, but some recent studies have shown that midlife is when you peak. For example, one study showed that, for physicists, 48 was the age at which they reached their prime.
Hill says the video has sparked a lot of discussion on the mental peak. "Viewers have suggested everything from 10 to 52. There is some consensus between viewers that we're at our smartest in our mid 20s," Hill said.
Watch the video above and then let us know your thoughts in comments below. When are you the smartest you'll ever be?
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