According to business administration professor Sven Voelpel, age has an image problem in Germany. This has negative consequences - both for individuals and for companies.

Sven Voelpel, who works at Jacobs University Bremen, focuses on demographic change and its impact on companies and society. His book "Decide for Yourself How Old You Are - What Research Knows About Staying Young" has just been published, with the first edition selling out within a few days. In the book, the business administration professor calls for a revision of the prevailing image of age. At the same time, he provides tips for aging gracefully and explains the mistakes companies make in dealing with older employees. SZ.de: Germany is getting older - with significant implications for the pension and health care systems, but also for companies, politics, society, and ultimately for every individual. Why are we still so reluctant to deal with the issue of age? Sven Voelpel: Because age is primarily seen as one thing: as a deficit. Aging is seen as a decline, that's the common belief. When we think of old people, we think of dementia, nursing homes, canes. At a certain point, the body does actually start to deteriorate. The cruel truth: That's true. Kidney function, lung capacity, nerve conduction velocity, muscle strength - all of these decrease steadily from around the age of 40. The brain also becomes more porous, social contacts become less frequent. The good news: We are not powerless against this. There are actually many factors that influence aging. Humans have remarkable plasticity. This means a high degree of adaptability. Exactly. My favorite study on this topic deals with handshakes. Researchers measured how firm people's handshakes were. Looking at this across different age groups, you would expect to see an inverted U-curve. What's really interesting is how this curve is composed. It consists of thousands of individual points that are scattered. There's the 24-year-old who can only squeeze to 18 kilos, but also the 64-year-old who has a strong grip and can squeeze 54 kilos. How fit we are throughout our lives is therefore very individual. Can this be influenced through training? Physical activity actually has an impact on cognitive abilities. We conducted a study at Jacobs University where a group of older individuals met three times a week for walking - their reaction time increased continuously in intelligence tests. Another group trained coordination skills through Tai Chi, resulting in improved response precision. The type of physical intervention actually influences the way we think. Psychology generally distinguishes between two types of intelligence: Fluid intelligence, the ability to learn new things. And crystallized intelligence, which is knowledge gained through experience. Can you explain how both change with age? Fluid intelligence peaks around the age of 25 and then declines. However, engaging with new topics repeatedly, such as learning a new language or computer programs, can delay this decline. Crystallized intelligence, on the other hand, increases until around age 55, but can even reach its peak at 75 or even 90. This is the ability to link information with existing knowledge. That's why leaders or politicians are often older, as this experience knowledge benefits them. Normally, we retire at 65 or at the latest 67. It's completely paradoxical when you consider that the oldest marathon runner is 101 years old. There are teachers, even Nobel laureates, who have complained because they wanted to work longer. However, they were not allowed to do so because that's how it's regulated. What's so bad about retirement then? There doesn't have to be anything bad about it. For many, retirement is a full stop to their activities. In a study, the brain blood flow of retirees was measured. The group that continued working maintained constant blood flow. In the group that actively shaped their retirement, brain blood flow increased in the first one or two years. Why? They are learning something new and doing something they enjoy, be it volunteering or pursuing a hobby. After four years, this also becomes routine, and the activity level becomes similar to those who are working. There's still a third group missing... Those who passively retire. We probably all know examples from acquaintances or relatives. At first, they have big plans: "Oh, then we finally have time for friends and travel." But then they end up staying at home, not going out, and experience a decline in performance. This is clearly visible in the brain blood flow. Additionally, diseases like heart attacks, depression come into play. In simple terms: If you rest, you rust. What can individuals do about this? I have been researching this topic for twelve years with colleagues from various disciplines and founded the "WDN-WISE Demography Network" specifically for age research. We have come across a core theme that significantly influences how we age, on a mental, emotional, and physical basis: attitude.

So, the saying "You are only as old as you feel" is true?

A colleague conducted a job interview with a woman and asked her if she felt capable of learning new computer programs. She replied: "No, I'm too old for that." Three sentences later, it turned out that she was actually learning Mandarin because she wanted to travel to China. Motivation and interest are crucial here, not age. External influences also play a role. In what way? The technical term for this is "priming," which means influencing. We conducted a major study in our lab where older employees were invited to solve creative tasks and were evaluated by assessors. One group was negatively influenced, having read a text about the negative effects of aging beforehand. Another group read a text about how wisdom increases with age and how one can better understand connections. The result was impressive: After negative priming, the number and quality of ideas decreased by half. Those with a positive attitude, on the other hand, delivered more than twice as many ideas as a neutral comparison group. This means that a three-minute intervention resulted in a 400 percent increase in performance. It's amazing! Companies could surely benefit from this as well. Definitely. Another study shows that if executives have a negative attitude towards aging, their older employees in the team are actually less productive. I was invited to give a lecture at Daimler some time ago. The board wanted to invest several million in special production lines for older employees. They were supposed to work with reduced hours as so-called "Silver Liners." Something similar exists at BMW. I explained what happens when you put a cast on: Within two weeks, you lose your muscles. In other words, a blanket and perhaps unwanted relief is fatal; it accelerates aging. It is important to look at where the limits of stress are, but separate programs for "unproductive elderly" send the wrong signal. Instead, Daimler has now opted for a large program called "JA - young and old together." How can the collaboration between young and old colleagues be improved? This complements each other very well, especially when it comes to seeking solutions or innovations. Younger individuals have more creative ideas, but older ones know how to evaluate them and actually implement them. Mentoring is also a topic that is being rethought. Nowadays, it's not just the older mentor supporting the younger mentee. Especially when it comes to digital techniques, more and more companies are reversing this relationship, with younger colleagues helping the older ones. [Article published on SZ.de]