"Retirement Makes You Stupid"

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major Tom Regarding the world of color spaces and gamuts, I went as far as to calibrate my monitor and have a custom profile made for my printer so that the colors on the final print would exactly match what I was seeing on my monitor. It's all a lot of work, but much fun learning and hey - you gotta do something between the time you wake up and the time you go to bed

I went so far as to get a Colormunki to calibrate the monitor and printer after being frustrated by the mismatch between screen and prints. It costs more than just calibrating the monitor but you can make your own profiles for every paper/ink combination after that.

And I'm still reading/rereading books on photography and Photoshop Elements. Getting deep into the software it's amazing what it can do.

I also sprung for Portrait Professional software, which won't do anything you can't do in Photoshop but it does in five minutes what would take 45 minutes in Photoshop.

It's all neat stuff, but with a steep learning curve. Hopefully that'll help keep too many brain cells from atrophying.

[friar1610]

Here's something that has been working my (feeble) brain recently - studying Russian.

In the early 70's I studied Russian very intensively for a year at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. I used the language in Navy assignments for a couple of years but then the skills began to atrophy.

Recently my wife and I booked a vacation on a Russian river cruise for this coming summer - Moscow to St. Petersburg. I decided I at least wanted to get enough skills back to read signs, order a beer, find the bathroom, etc. So I've found a lot of stuff on the web to download and I listen to it when I'm working out at the gym or working in the yard. In addition, I've found a site that has Russian verb conjugations and I've been spending some time every day reviewing a few verbs.

I've been really surprised how much I've enjoyed getting back into studying Russian and I suspect it ain't bad for the grey matter. I hope I will continue it even after we get back from the trip. But then again, why not try to get my high school French back for our visits to Montreal? Or my college Spanish in case we want to go back to Spain where I was stationed in the Navy?

Perhaps I've hit on something?

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan They promoted me from programmer to 'team lead'; felt IQ dropping after that. Have more mental stimulation watching the squirrels.

I fought tooth and nail to stay hands-on in the laboratory (very mentally challenging), but the w*rk culture changed to one where you could not get promoted unless you managed contracts (snore zzzz). I told them, ok, so don't promote me.
I wrangled an agreement where I was supposed to be 50% in house and 50% contracts management, but the reality was the contract management occupied 75% of my time. Sigh.
I discovered I was losing my in-house technical edge very quickly. I FIREd myself within 2 years of that happening. See ya!

[kumquat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chemist I play duplicate bridge to stay sharp. Even if that doesn't work I'd trade a few IQ points for no heart attack any time.

Fellow bridge freak here. Keep it up. Nothing makes the brain grow stronger.

[FinanceDude]

I guess I am more than ready when I retire..........what I have learned on here is most think that FAs have no IQ anyway, so I have nothing to lose!!!

[traineeinvestor]

The lack of mental stimulation at work is one of the factors that is motivating me to retire early. If the author's thesis is correct, should I expect an increase in IQ when I FIRE?

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by friar1610 Here's something that has been working my (feeble) brain recently - studying Russian. I decided I at least wanted to get enough skills back to read signs, order a beer, find the bathroom, etc. So I've found a lot of stuff on the web to download and I listen to it when I'm working out at the gym or working in the yard. In addition, I've found a site that has Russian verb conjugations and I've been spending some time every day reviewing a few verbs. I've been really surprised how much I've enjoyed getting back into studying Russian and I suspect it ain't bad for the grey matter. Perhaps I've hit on something?

Do you have to get permission from DoD to go to those parts of the world? Oh, that's right, we're friends now.

Language learning physically affects different parts of the brain, and it forms new neuron connections. That has to help.

My daughter got interested in Russian during high school (she was friends with a foreign-exchange student). She was tremendously motivated to study on her own, and she found the Pimsleur CDs to be very helpful. (I know this because she had to spend her own money on them.) Now that she's in college her self-study helped her to validate one semester, and she just finished a second semester to be eligible to take upper-level Russian for credit.

Best of all, she finds that it gives her brain a break from building neurons for calculus, physics, and chemistry. She's made new friends. She posts to Facebook in Cyrillic.

A Navy submarine engineer fluent in Russian. Maybe someday she'll be able to turn that into a useful job skill...

I've noticed that a lot of people who "stay young as they age" are active in music. Whether that's singing or playing piano or dance, it seems to work.

[kumquat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude I guess I am more than ready when I retire..........what I have learned on here is most think that FAs have no IQ anyway, so I have nothing to lose!!!

Not really true. Most of us think it takes some intelligence to convert a client's worthless assets into valuable priceless commissions.

[Major Tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 I went so far as to get a Colormunki to calibrate the monitor and printer after being frustrated by the mismatch between screen and prints. It costs more than just calibrating the monitor but you can make your own profiles for every paper/ink combination after that. And I'm still reading/rereading books on photography and Photoshop Elements. Getting deep into the software it's amazing what it can do. I also sprung for Portrait Professional software, which won't do anything you can't do in Photoshop but it does in five minutes what would take 45 minutes in Photoshop. It's all neat stuff, but with a steep learning curve. Hopefully that'll help keep too many brain cells from atrophying.

I had PS Elements a few years ago, but I understand that it's a lot more powerful now than it used to be.

A quick word about Portrait Professional. Although I haven't used that particular piece of software, I've used others like it and eventually went back to Photoshop, as it was easy to overdo the "smoothing" effects and end up with a rather plasticky looking subject. Your mileage may vary, but it's something worth looking out for.

I agree with the comment you made in your earlier post concerning noticing quality and direction of light. I've always liked late afternoon light, even before getting into photography, and it's certainly great stuff for photographing in, as is generally overcast weather (nice soft light with no harsh shadows.)

Ooops, what was the main subject of this thread again.....Aaah yes, apologies for the digression

[Nemo2]

Retirement makes you stupid?

Naah....I was stupid long before I retired.

[SteveR]

Me thinks the author of the study is showing his ignorance of the mental stimulation available to one in retirement.

Like some of the other folks posting here I have also jumped into photography in a big way. Sold my old stuff and have been collecting gently used much better glass to do with my new camera that I got for free with credit card points. Free is good.

Let me see if I can recall when in my 4 year ER journey I started losing IQ...Hmmm; was it when I explored the country coast to coast twice and enjoyed what the various parts of the country offer? No, that could not be it since it was a learning experience and therefore exercised my brain. How about getting back into SCUBA diving after a 25 year dry spell and moving up a level in my certification? No, that can't be it since that requires study of many different aspects of physiology, marine biology, physics, equipment use and maintenance, underwater navigation, dry suit mastery, compressed gas management, and a few other mental and physical skills. How about starting a new business in a field you never experienced before? No, that can't be it either...learning accounting, business law, taxes, local and Federal regulations on payroll, purchasing, store management and various software programs to run the whole thing. You get the point.

Most of us are far to busy using our brains and bodies in ER to lose any IQ points (what ever they are anyway...). You don't have to read many posts in this section of the Forum to see that most of us are over-achievers in most things...so why would ER be any different?

Oh, I believe in the old saying that alcohol kills off brain cells. I believe the strongest ones survive and the weak ones are killed off. Natural selection at its' finest....Darwin would be amused.

[Gerbil Wheel]

If this board is any indication...just kidding!

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveR Me thinks the author of the study is showing his ignorance of the mental stimulation available to one in retirement.

Me thinks the author of the study is showing his ignorance of the mental stimulation available to one at work! There are an awful lot of mentally deadening jobs out there!

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveR Most of us are far to busy using our brains and bodies in ER to lose any IQ points (what ever they are anyway...). You don't have to read many posts in this section of the Forum to see that most of us are over-achievers in most things...so why would ER be any different?

Exactly!!!!

[dtbach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo2 Retirement makes you stupid? Naah....I was stupid long before I retired.

Yeah, like "stupid like a fox"

Most working stiffs only wish they could ER but the reality of it is that most have no idea of how to invest, blow $$ on useless stuff, then pine about how life would be so nice if they could only ER.

I think most on this board have more than enough IQ points to stand losing a few and still being way ahead of the crowd.

[Glo]

I worked for 44 years and hated every minute. As far as I'm concerned, my life started 4 years ago when I retired. Am I dumber now? Don't know or care; I'm happy!