{"id":459,"date":"2020-03-17T14:19:51","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T14:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legacy.varunme.com\/resources\/the-impact-of-parental-age-on-intelligence-and-life-span\/"},"modified":"2023-06-14T14:58:09","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T14:58:09","slug":"the-impact-of-parental-age-on-intelligence-and-life-span","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/resources\/the-impact-of-parental-age-on-intelligence-and-life-span\/","title":{"rendered":"The impact of parental age on intelligence and life span"},"content":{"rendered":"

Studies suggest older parents have smarter, longer-living children<\/em><\/h3>\n

Regardless of your age, the decision to start a family<\/a> is exciting. Many men and women often wonder about the right age to start a family. In particular, would it prove more beneficial to start a family when you are younger or older? For example, do children benefit when they are born to youthful parents who are still dealing with their own adulthood struggles? Or, would they be better off with older parents who have not only been around the block a few times, but have also weathered and surmounted a handful of crises?<\/p>\n

Who better to ask than experienced parents themselves?<\/p>\n

Parental Age and Emotional Maturity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In 2012, Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco<\/a> conducted a study of 107 people. The majority of the study participants were married, white, and earned above-average incomes. However, the study group included 15 women who had used in vitro fertilization to conceive their first baby when they were in their 40s.<\/p>\n

Researchers found, “…a majority of women and men in the study believed that childbearing later in life resulted in advantages for themselves and their families.\u201d What’s more, 72 percent of women and 57 percent of men in the study expressed that the emotional maturity associated with age provided a clear advantage to having children later in life.<\/p>\n

In particular, one father explained he was far more emotionally mature and self-aware in his 40s than he was 20 years ago. He felt he was, \u201c…in a better position to communicate better with my child and help them more in life, and I understand how to be a supportive, encouraging parent.”<\/p>\n

Do Older Parents Have Smarter Children?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Advanced paternal age (APA) at conception has long been associated with negative outcomes in offspring, raising concerns about increasing the age of fatherhood. However, over the past few years, several studies have championed the advantages to children born to older parents<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In particular, a 2017 study, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry<\/a>, revealed that children born to older fathers are more likely to have a high IQ. Through the course of the study, researchers from both the U.S. and the U.K. studied 15,000 sets of twins to measure their intelligence at age 12. Most notably, the study found that children born to older fathers are likely to have a higher I.Q. compared to those born to younger parents. Additionally, kids born to older parents exhibited a stronger focus in pursuing their interests and more self-confidence than those born to younger parents.<\/p>\n

Advantages to Older Parental Age<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Aside from a higher IQ, numerous studies have found significant advantages to children born to older parents. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n