Hey old people! Get in here a sec.

[mortabunt]

over 21 and old? Old? OLD?

^ ROFLMFAO!

 

[PeaceBaby]

Age: 42

Mental

Are you as sharp as you used to be? = I do feel as sharp, if not more so. I do grasp for names etc. on occasion but read a great study that says this is just a perimenopause thing and the fog clears off once the change is complete. So no worries on that. And my IQ test is the same so I guess I am doing OK there too.

Do you think as much? = I think all the time but try to balance it with a lot more sensory experiences. Just being.

Are you as creative, theoretically? = Yes, but I worry more about some things and less about others. I do agree with Jennifer, those fabulous flashes of insight occur less frequently now, but a softer wisdom replaces this. And I get as many great crazy inspirations as ever so that's fun, fun, fun!

Do you still thirst for knowledge as much as you used to? = I do enjoy learning, but I am less focussed on credentials now.

Physical

Anything not obvious you'd think I or anyone else would like to know about? = Get tired faster, can't skip meals like I used to, take longer to recover after a workout. My "special time of the month" is a bit more ... exhausting too. And the emotions during that time, wowie, just watch out sometimes, I get a little crankier. I do have a couple of bothersome physical issues so am generally more cognizant of the fact I must take care of myself. Have had a couple of surgeries for various issues so again, must take care of what I've got!

Emotional

If you had powerful, deep, profound, mystical, whatever emotions/feelings before, do they still occur the same? How's their strength/importance to you changed? = This has ramped to a very high level for me. Sometimes the emotions are so strong they just have to have their moments and I must let them wash over me like water. It is hard sometimes, especially since I have historically taken a great deal of pride in my ability to control my emotions and feel them when I want to, not when they demand to be paid attention to. My emotions are less likely to take the back seat these days.

How's the stability of your emotions going? Stability good.

How's the strength of your emotions changed? As I mentioned earlier, these fabulous emotions wish to be heard, and will not let me push them aside as I did much more often when I was younger. Stronger, clearer and I trust them more instead of second-guessing as much.

Do you find you have more control over them now? = Yes & No. When I listen to them I am happier. But there are more unbidden ones that demand attention.

Anything else emotionally/feelingly changed? = I feel more like I am my true self more than ever, and this is my goal, to be true to myself so there are less and less parts I feel a need to hide away.

Don't worry, you'll like getting older.

 

[OrangeAppled]

Significantly!

Thanks though. I just thought 21+ was when the downward spiral aging process kicked in.

That's why I didn't answer; although, you change so much in your 20s, I already feel quite different from how I was at 21.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I feel even older now that people in their twenties have posted answers!

 

[jenocyde]

I feel even older now that people in their twenties have posted answers!

Yeah, wtf? :steam:

 

[erm]

That's why I didn't answer; although, you change so much in your 20s, I already feel quite different from how I was at 21.

Feel welcome to answer. Any insight appreciated!

22 would be pushing it though...

 

[kelric]

I'm 37...

Mental
Are you as sharp as you used to be? I like to think so - not as... mentally flighty, but sharp? I think so.
Do you think as much? Yes
Are you as creative, theoretically? I believe so - but there's just a lot less time for that, and plenty of mental distractions that just didn't exist in my 20's. I don't think the quality of my creative thinking has decreased... but the quantity has.
Do you still thirst for knowledge as much as you used to? Hmm - I'm not sure that I ever *thirsted* for knowledge - it was always more of an eclectic curiosity for me. But I don't think I've changed all that much - if anything, it's that I'm more likely to enjoy nonfiction (although I do still enjoy fiction - I'm just pickier than I used to be).
Anything else you feel has changed significantly in this area? Not particularly - more practicality out of necessity, perhaps.

Physical
It's all pretty famous in this dimension.
Anything not obvious you'd think I or anyone else would like to know about?
Not too much, other than what others have already said - it's more about taking longer to recover, *needing* to exercise and eat right to stay in shape, and having to pay attention to sleep habits - sleeping in until all hours just isn't possible for me anymore, so I need to get to sleep at a relatively early hour (11, in my case).

Emotional

The be all end all for me:-

If you had powerful, deep, profound, mystical, whatever emotions/feelings before, do they still occur the same? How's their strength/importance to you changed? Other than social anxiety/fear-of-failure panic and being excited when doing new and interesting things, I don't know that I ever really had powerful-etc. emotions. I'd say that I still get them, but not as often, and more muted. Oh, and the puppy-love-crush thing tends to a) not happen much b) take longer to develop and c) become less consuming (out of practicality if nothing else).


How's the stability of your emotions going? Hmm - about the same, I think - they fluctuate more, but I think that's mostly environmental (work pressure) rather than age-related.
How's the strength of your emotions changed? Strength is still the same, but they're more... solid... muted... rather than a flash-in-the-pan sort of thing.
Do you find you have more control over them now? Probably. I'd like to think so. But there are still things that jump up and grab me sometimes.
Anything else emotionally/feelingly changed? I appreciate reminiscing more - when I was 21, that seldom really affected me (especially positively), whereas now I find it somewhat enjoyable.

1. Missing sleep catches up with me more later in the week than it used to.

Bigtime.

1. You know that feeling you get every now and then, where you're absolutely buzzing for no particular reason but especially when you're eg out on the town with friends? That feeling where you want to run around and yell and scream and do stupid things? An irresistible physical high, almost? Well that disappears.

2. Okay I was going to give you a few more but I think they'd mostly be bitterness. You'll probably learn a lot about bitterness as you get older. It's a different beast from the younger equivalent, feeding as it does on far more regrets.

3. Alright I'll give you one more. Making close friends? Way harder. Way, way harder. So make sure you get yourself a good set before you're 25 because chances are they'll have to last a long time. I'm not quite sure why this is. I have theories but they're pretty fuzzy.

Jeff's insights are true for me too. Some things are better when you get older, but there are things that become more difficult or less... exuberant. Making new friends is a LOT harder than when you're 21. People tend to be involved with raising families/careers/both, rather than spending time with friends and making new ones.

I feel even older now that people in their twenties have posted answers!

No kidding .

 

[Eiddy]

I'm 37, so I guess that qualifies me.

Are you as sharp as you used to be?

In ways yes, true to my nature and it's surroundings. Less about people and historical facts.

Do you think as much?

I think a lot more.

Are you as creative, theoretically?

More creative, but less time to enjoy it.

Do you still thirst for knowledge as much as you used to?

Much more so now, before it was about friends, worried about being attractive, running through life, making money, and many other growing pains. Thankfully I am over most of this now.

Anything else you feel has changed significantly in this area?

I am mentally much more laid back and mellow.

Physical

It's all pretty famous in this dimension.
Anything not obvious you'd think I or anyone else would like to know about?

I grew up always slightly overweight and it caused major issues of low self-esteem. Now I am overweight after having 4 children, but my body is healthy, I am even more active than some of my high school students.

I've also gained a lot of my self-esteem through many of my other abilities not related to looks, friends, or things.

Emotional

The be all end all for me:-

If you had powerful, deep, profound, mystical, whatever emotions/feelings before, do they still occur the same? How's their strength/importance to you changed?

I am now less likely to believe what others believe and make up my own mind about what I think is right for me. It was more about being right or justified in my feelings about things before, now I don't have to argue or try to justify my feelings.

If you never had such feelings before, anything changed?

Yes, I became less reliant on what others thought and rely more on how I feel.

How's the stability of your emotions going?

I'm not given into mood swings like I was growing up. That ended only a few short years ago.

How's the strength of your emotions changed?

I am a lot more mellow less ups and downs. I think I have only had one day a few weeks back when I felt overwhelmed with emotions, out of two or three years, that is great.

Do you find you have more control over them now?

Yes, because now I have difference perceptions on how people act or respond. I now know not to take everything personally. Others could have had a bad day, week, life.. or suffer from mental problems, or whatever number of other things. These types of things used to lead me to an emotional breakdown. Now I am more understanding and tolerant of others.

Anything else emotionally/feelingly changed?

After growing up always being depressed, it is now nice to feel depression is a thing of the past. I used to use depression to seek sympathy from others or to form a bond even if was negative. Now that I no longer seek connections from other to validate me and I now know I can be happy just sitting alone, thinking, learning, creating, or doing a multitude of things or nothing at all. I can be at peace and feel satisfied with life, with or without others.

Anything else outside these dimensions you think has changed due to aging?

Yes there are some moments when I feel the beauty of youth is leaving me, and I strive in vain to be more attractive again. (Like grabbing at straws that slip through your fingers.) The ego doesn't like giving up it vain glorious ways. Thankfully I can recognize this and not let that affect my BEing.

Go anywhere, do anything, but do not go back to where the depression is. Thankfully for the most part I have covered my tracks.

 

[Fiver]

47

Mental

Are you as sharp as you used to be? - No but the years of experience allow me to make much better decisions.
Do you think as much? - Yes
Are you as creative, theoretically? Acutally, when I was in my 20's I never thought of myself as creative. Now I believe in my own creativity. Just the other day I tried to write a song with my son.
Do you still thirst for knowledge as much as you used to? Yes, but don't seem to remember what I learned.
Anything else you feel has changed significantly in this area?

Physical - when I was 40 I was in the best shape of my life.

It's all pretty famous in this dimension.
Anything not obvious you'd think I or anyone else would like to know about? I was a very articulate person until my mid-40's then I started losing words. If I'm thinking about two things closely together and try to talk about one, it can come out very garbled. For example, if I want my daughter to hand me a hose and I see a horse at the same time, it comes out, "Hand my that horse." It sounds dumb but it just gets worse and worse. I wonder if I had a stroke. Nouns are awful. I'm lucky if I get all my nouns right in a 24 hour period.

My hearing is significantly diminished. I cannot see to read a single medicine label. I can still read most menus.
Emotional

The be all end all for me:-

If you had powerful, deep, profound, mystical, whatever emotions/feelings before, do they still occur the same? How's their strength/importance to you changed? I was very idealistic and judgmental. Thankfully, I have a more forgiving realistic viewpoint now.
If you never had such feelings before, anything changed?

How's the stability of your emotions going? Much more calm and mellow.
How's the strength of your emotions changed?
Do you find you have more control over them now?
Anything else emotionally/feelingly changed?


Anything else outside these dimensions you think has changed due to aging?

I have a clear idea of my strengths and weaknesses. I focus on taking my strengths to a new level and let other people shine where I am weak.

I love the maturity that experience brings to my thinking and emotions. I'm happy to look for the good in other people; not judging them for their weaknesses This actually had a profound impact on my enjoyment of life.

I am comfortable in my own skin.

 

[professor goodstain]

I have a few questions for those significantly older than, say, 21.

I'm interested in knowing what I have to look forward to, with the whole aging process thing you guys have been through. It's gonna be pretty vague, I'm afraid.

Questions:-

Note: I'm more concerned with the non-environmental factors of aging (aging itself, as opposed to getting older), but I imagine they are hard/logically impossible to isolate.
Mental

Are you as sharp as you used to be?
Do you think as much?
Are you as creative, theoretically?
Do you still thirst for knowledge as much as you used to?
Anything else you feel has changed significantly in this area?

Physical

It's all pretty famous in this dimension.
Anything not obvious you'd think I or anyone else would like to know about?

Emotional

The be all end all for me:-

If you had powerful, deep, profound, mystical, whatever emotions/feelings before, do they still occur the same? How's their strength/importance to you changed?

If you never had such feelings before, anything changed?

How's the stability of your emotions going?
How's the strength of your emotions changed?
Do you find you have more control over them now?
Anything else emotionally/feelingly changed?


Anything else outside these dimensions you think has changed due to aging?


That's all the questions I can think of at the moment. Any relevant responses appreciated!

Not quite as sharp externaly. The intuition is finally making the right call so i have to notice more in sensory info to take something to an even farther level, then get lost once again in all the angles that surface from that point only to end up way off subject from the original idea.

Do you think as much? i would say it all happened about around age 34 where i started getting more involved in extroverted affairs in social environments outside the professional arena. Mostly with friends that are female whom i recieved sensory cues from while in these extroverted social functions. Wouldn't ya know it? The iNTP overthunk all this stuff and blew it half the time Yes, i think as muchdammit

Are you as creative, theoretically? Yes. i'm pretty sure i just solved a small anthropological puzzle that stupified those interested for some 700 years.

Do you still thirst for knowledge as much? i'm here aren't i...There are alot of very interesting ideas here. However, when it comes to philosophy and spirituality, this place is shallow. You all certainly have relationships down pat though

Powerful, deep, profound, mystical, feelings, whatever. i'm 39. i think the walls i put up are accepted because the people those walls are there for see the logic and justification for those walls due to being able to relate to it. It's like i'm always building a bridge to you but you can't cross it, even though i'm building it for you to cross

i remember being very romantic, even had a good imagination to turn a boring situation in to a romantic one. Nowadays, it all depends on if it's worth it.

As far as emotional stability, all a person has to do is get a puppy with the commitment in mind of the fact it's a lifelong obligation. We don't need pharmaceuticals

 

[substitute]

age 32

Mental

Are you as sharp as you used to be?
Not sure what you mean by sharp, exactly. I still think very quickly and am probably even better at being decisive and taking action than I used to be. But I'm getting less good at expressing my perceptions and thoughts, as the ideas dawns on me more and more strongly as time goes by that it doesn't really matter, and that I can't be bothered to battle through the inevitable misunderstandings like I used to.

Do you think as much?
Yes, but more about the world around me and other people and less about myself. Used to be the other way round, specially in my teens.

Are you as creative, theoretically?
What's the "theoretically" part? And do you mean just in the sense of The Arts, or all the other manifestations of creativity that have nothing to do with painting, singing, writing, etc?
I don't write anywhere near as much as I used to, because I got a bit more real about myself and realized that there really isn't a remarkable talent here, so figured I'd rather not waste my time.

Do you still thirst for knowledge as much as you used to?
Very much more so. But different kinds of knowledge, largely those not found in books.

Anything else you feel has changed significantly in this area?
Thirst for adventure and travel has increased tenfold, and only gets stronger the more it's fed! And I've stopped caring whether other people think I'm intelligent or not.

Physical

I was never particularly physical, but what lip service I did to deliberate exercise was always mainly social. For instance, I skateboarded because it was what we all did together as friends, and though I enjoyed it, it wasn't purely for itself. As I've got older and the social activities are less park/sport related, I've got lazier! Some of my buds go to the gym, but I can't do that for money and other reasons, so yeah... if your primary motivation for exercising when you do it is having someone to do it with, as opposed to being one of those people who loves sports for their own sake, then it gets harder to not get fat as you get older.

Emotional

If you had powerful, deep, profound, mystical, whatever emotions/feelings before, do they still occur the same? How's their strength/importance to you changed?
I didn't

If you never had such feelings before, anything changed?
Uh... I think I was very nearly at a point the other day when someone said "follow your heart" and for once, I NEARLY didn't make with the "wtf is that meant to mean?" hand gestures.

How's the stability of your emotions going? Not much different.
How's the strength of your emotions changed? They've got weaker, but despite that, I notice them more.
Do you find you have more control over them now? well, there are lots of different kinds of emotions and some I have better control over than others.
Anything else emotionally/feelingly changed? become more sensitive and clued-in to other people's feelings than I used to be.


Anything else outside these dimensions you think has changed due to aging?

Gets harder to take younger people seriously, the older I get and the more I learn, the bigger I realize the vacuum of experience and knowledge is inside their heads. Also I seem to get scarier to younger people as I get older. I mean like, when I was in my 20's, I could walk past a bunch of teenagers in the street and they'd give me a bunch of mouth, or otherwise try to show off to each other at my expense. Nowadays though, I'm told by one teenager I know that the reason this doesn't happen any more is because I give them a look of thinly veiled contempt and dismissal that makes them sorta shrivel up a bit. Like I just haven't got time for their crap. I'm not sure what I think of that, though, or to what extent it's just that kid's opinion.

 

[Scott N Denver]

I have a few questions for those significantly older than, say, 21.

I'm interested in knowing what I have to look forward to, with the whole aging process thing you guys have been through. It's gonna be pretty vague, I'm afraid.

Questions:-

Note: I'm more concerned with the non-environmental factors of aging (aging itself, as opposed to getting older), but I imagine they are hard/logically impossible to isolate.
Mental

Are you as sharp as you used to be?
Do you think as much?
Are you as creative, theoretically?
Do you still thirst for knowledge as much as you used to?
Anything else you feel has changed significantly in this area?

Physical

It's all pretty famous in this dimension.
Anything not obvious you'd think I or anyone else would like to know about?

Emotional

The be all end all for me:-

If you had powerful, deep, profound, mystical, whatever emotions/feelings before, do they still occur the same? How's their strength/importance to you changed?

If you never had such feelings before, anything changed?

How's the stability of your emotions going?
How's the strength of your emotions changed?
Do you find you have more control over them now?
Anything else emotionally/feelingly changed?


Anything else outside these dimensions you think has changed due to aging?


That's all the questions I can think of at the moment. Any relevant responses appreciated!

Well, since plenty of other younger than 40's people are answering, I'll jump in the mix.

Age: 29
Umm, I'm about as sharp as I used to be. Any reduction is due to being around other people who "see the forest but not the trees" or something like that. I still regularly catch when people misspeak and the like, so I feel like I'm still very sharp.

Do I think as much? Ummm, yeah probably. I felt more balanced on the thinking/doing continuum earlier in my life. I work with a lot of cerebral not very social people, and have been in that type of culture for like 8 or 9 years. I don't recommend it, balance is important.

Creative? I'm not sure I was ever creative... My Ne is still quite active though if thats what you mean.

Thirst for knowledge? Dude, I spent 10.5 years in college [and no I don't have a PhD, but I did come kinda close], but that somehow didn't manage to kill my interest in learning. This INFP is very resilient!

Physical: I've heard that people bodies often start slowing down at or before age 30. Other than that I can't abuse my body as much, I've not noticed anything yet. But I do stretching and breathing everyday [~15 yrs martial arts, ~10 yrs yoga]. There are tai chi people in their 80's with the vitality of teenagers. Take care of your body and you'll be fine

Emotionally: I've always had deep feelings, INFP here, and they still are. Being around INTJ's reduces their intensity and gives me more of a cerebral vibe. I'm working on putting up MUCH stronger walls....I've found that there are less people interested in having deep emotional experiences with you as you get older though, or maybe they are interested but just don't have much time...

I've always had control over my emotions, or at least I could direct the aquaducts down which my emotional waters flow. I will say work is not an emotionally positive fun place to be. But I'm an engineer with advanced physics training whose been drowned in INTJ cultures, so ymmv.

I remember when I was a physics TA and had students in there 30's and 40's I would ask them how they change from when they were my/our age. Generally I heard that they were more jaded due to life experiences. I can totally see that, but personally try to keep jadedness to a minimum. That definitely takes effort though...


Fwiw, other than having been through some VERY negative experiences and trying to just survive in "hostile [cultural] territory", I feel like I'm basically the same person I was at 25 and 21 and 16 and 10. I read somewhere that unlike others, INFP's often feel like they are still the same person regardless of their age. We tend to know ourselves very well, the outer particular details tend to matter less to us.

One piece of advice, do what you want to do. Wherever you go or whatever you do you'll always meet new people. Don't somehow hold yourself back in the notion of "doing something for others." Others probably wont know or care, and those who are worth helping will respect you for you anyways and probably not care what you choose to do. For example, I would have loved to live in China but felt a "responsibility" to people/circumstances not to because I "should" stay here and finish some programs I started. Arguably I got very f_cked over by some of those circumstances, arguably they don't do much for me now, and I have no trips to China to show for it. Systems generally aren't loyal to individuals, be careful of giving yourself away to some system that doesn't personally care about you.

 

[Scott N Denver]

A better phrasing just came to me "Don't not live your life." If you want to move, give it a try. If you wanna change careers, give it a try. People generally aren't going to reward you for staying in some circumstance that you don't want to be in. Or at best, if they do reward you for being in some circumstance you don't want to be in, their reward probably won't hold much meaning/value to you.

 

[Scott N Denver]

That's why I didn't answer; although, you change so much in your 20s, I already feel quite different from how I was at 21.

OA, if I may ask, how do you feel different than form when you were say 21?

I'm asking because, as noted in my response above, apparently INFP's often feel like the same person throughout their lives, as opposed to feeling like "a totally different person" between say 25 and 30 for example.

More confident, more assertive, less trusting, more jaded? I think we can learn a lot from our partners, though I can't speak form experience there. More well-rounded? More like your "owning" your Fi or Ne? More developed in your other functions?