> no one really wants to deal with problems... it's the job that keeps you fit.

Is it though? "it is estimated that the number of Chess players is about 800 million globally." according to https://www.chessjournal.com/how-many-chess-players-are-ther... I've read ~600M for Mahjong, CS/PUBG/etc right now tally up to few millions on Steam via https://steamcharts.com etc.

So I think just with famous games we can see that billions of people love to "deal with problems". Games by definition are problems we love to solve. They can be solo, duel, last one standing, 2 teams, N teams, synchronous, asynchronous, turn by turn, etc.

This makes me think on the contrary we are addicted to solving problems. The question then IMHO is more... what are the right problems for you? How do you keep on being challenged just the right way?

>it's the job that keeps you fit

I'm not so sure. I think cause and effect might be otherwise - either you quit working when you go gaga, or both are a function of age. Certainly my relatives stayed sharp after retiring but often went a bit demented around 85-90.

There's evidence at least some dementia is related to infections which may be easier to fix than other things. (as in https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/dec/01/the-bra...)

Do you have any opinion on rote work, for example data entry, or stuff like scanning the incoming checks or mail for a small office, filing papers, etc.? I sometimes worry that this type of work isn't as much of a brain challenge, but maybe there are some people who don't mind it so much because it gives them time to think.

I think this way about playing the piano. I'm primarily a guitarist so the piano is a bit of a challenge for me. I use it as a way to force my memory to think in challenging ways and commit complex content.

Read books, learn instruments. Lots of things use your brain that you can do.

Dogs are important. I'm old, and I have two. Wagging tails & licks when I come home are really important, a claim I make comfortably without objective evidence.

I'm not even talking about that. I'd love to pound out code like I'm my late 30s the rest of my life.

In fact, it would probably be better than that. I'd be as quick as I was in my 20s but have the experience and knowledge of someone much older.

Fair point, and one of particular interest to me, age 76.

I find my short-term memory is in decline, magnitude depending on specific circumstances. This annoys me, and to a lesser degree, my wife as well. Really, where did I put that damned can opener?

But I also find my ability to find connections among phenomena in my technical field has markedly increased. In addition to my subjective perception, there's an outside measure, the annual rate of patent applications my employer files on my disclosures, and consequent cash bonuses. About a factor of 4x compared to when I was 60. As well (per my wife's telling), I'm better at remembering anniversaries and other significant dates in our lives and those of our family & friends. Anecdata, of course.

I'd say my age-related 'decline' has been uneven regarding details of cognition/memory, and at the moment provides me and my loved ones a better quality of life - certainly not what I expected decades earlier. It's complicated, and I'll be interested to see what more the posted research leads to.

That'd make a good sci-fi story. A world where science can keep anyone alive almost indefinitely but not their full faculties. So you get more and more "zombies" of barely alive senile elderly.

Also if I was a writer I'd call it "Congress" and have it start with senators. ;)