Wisdom, Ageing, and the Pandemics | Professor Dilip Jeste

Discussed in religions and philosophies for millennia, wisdom is a topic of growing empirical research since the 1970s. Wisdom is a complex personality trait with several specific components: empathy/compassion, emotional regulation, self-reflection, decisiveness amid uncertainty, and spirituality. Functional neuroimaging, neurochemical, neuropathological, and genetic studies point to a neurobiological basis for wisdom. Unlike IQ, components of wisdom are potentially modifiable and may increase with age and experience. Studies support a Grandmother Hypothesis of wisdom. Several randomized controlled trials of behavioral interventions have shown increases in emotional regulation, empathy/compassion, and spirituality with psychosocial interventions. In near future, neurobiological procedures such as targeted brain stimulation as well as neuro-psycho-tropic drugs may be developed to enhance components of wisdom. Technological innovations are also likely to shift artificial intelligence to artificial wisdom. Our studies have shown a strong inverse association between wisdom and loneliness. This suggests relevance of wisdom in the current era of behavioral pandemics of loneliness and associated suicides and opioid-related deaths. Enhancement of components of wisdom at individual and societal levels may help reduce loneliness-related mortality. Wisdom, through its association with well-being, happiness, and health is perhaps the best means of achieving successful ageing.