Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation Print subscriptions Search jobs Europe edition Australia edition International edition The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian Show moreHide expanded menu View all News Climate crisis Environment Global development View all Opinion The Guardian view Opinion videos View all Sport Rugby union View all Culture Art & design View all Lifestyle Health & fitness Home & garden Search input google-search Print subscriptions Search jobs Digital Archive Guardian Licensing The Guardian app Newsletters Today's paper Inside the Guardian The Observer Guardian Weekly Corrections Search input google-search Search jobs Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Universities Science WeeklyScience Use it or lose it: how to sharpen your brain as you age – podcast More ways to listen Apple podcasts Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Ilan Goodman, sound design by Tony Onuchukwu, the executive producer is Ellie Bury Thu 13 Mar 2025 06.00 CET 00:00:0000:00:00 Many of us believe that cognitive decline is an inevitable part of ageing, but a new study looking at how our skills change with age challenges that idea. Ian Sample talks to Ludger Woessmann, a professor of economics at the university of Munich and one of the study’s authors, to find out how the team delved into the data to come to their conclusions, and what they discovered about how we can all maintain our faculties for as long as possible. Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Photograph: Ammentorp Photography/Alamy Explore more on these topics Science Weekly Neuroscience Mathematics Most viewed Most viewed Universities Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morningSign up for our email Complaints & corrections Work for us Privacy policy Cookie policy Terms & conditions All writers Digital newspaper archive Tax strategy Newsletters Advertise with us Search UK jobs Back to top © 2025 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)