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I’ll admit it. When I first learned that President Biden would seek a second term, I had the same kneejerk response as many others: “Won’t he be 86 when his term ends?” As a clinical neuropsychologist immersed in dementia prevention, I knew that the majority of people in their 80s score lower on standardized tests of thinking and memory. I use these “norms” every day in my work. I did the math and discovered that the average octogenarian processes information 25-35% slower than someone in their early 60s and is 25-40% less able to remember new verbal information. I was worried.
But then, I remembered that these were “average” people. Average people are a composite of hundreds or thousands who have taken these tests and whose scores were tabulated and averaged. They represent very wide demographics of background, education and occupation. They also include people with suboptimal lifestyles as well as those with significant medical and undiagnosed neurological problems. They are not SuperAgers.
What’s a SuperAger?
Richard Sima’s Washington Post column in April 2023 explained that the term was coined by researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine about 15 years ago to describe the fairly small group of people who are resistant to age-related cognitive decline. Very recently, Spanish researchers found higher brain volumes in a well-characterized group who had far better memories than their peers while other researchers have noted better connectivity in the SuperAgers’ brain regions. In any case, SuperAgers appear to beat the odds of cognitive decline as they get older.
Before the term SuperAger, we knew that these people existed. If you look at the published norms for the most frequently used IQ and memory tests you see that the top 15% in the 85-90 age group perform like the average person in their early- to mid-60s. The top 2% of the 80-plussers, the true SuperAgers, score at above average levels for those who are 25 to 30 years younger. In other words, these are the Tom Brady’s of the thinking world, remaining as smart, as quick, and as capable as those 25 years their junior.
I have known a few SuperAgers, both personally and professionally. One was an 87-year-old retired executive who took me for a ride in his single-engine plane. He lived to be 95, could walk the legs off most of us until about a year before his death, and had a phenomenal memory for past and current events. I tested a 94-year-old woman whose scores were average for a 50-year-old. She had just married a man in his 70s and her doctor wanted to make sure she was not being conned. The bride laughingly assured me that she was not marrying for sex. She had been close to her new husband for 30 years and had no heirs for her substantial estate. I blessed the marriage and regretted not sending a gift. And then there was the 98-year-old retired secretary. Her arthritis nearly crippled her but her mind could still jump over almost any mental hurdle.
How Would We Know If Joe Biden Is a SuperAger?
Here we turn to the extensive research on dementia prevention. Dementia preventers do not smoke cigarettes, do not drink alcohol excessively, and maintain normal levels of blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Biden checks all these boxes. Preventers are not overweight, exercise regularly and remain mentally stimulated and challenged. Check, check, and check.
People over 65 are especially prone to sleep apnea, or sleep disordered breathing. Those who have it but ignore it have increased stroke and heart attack risk, low energy, higher brain amyloid levels, and impaired thinking. But those who use CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) regularly, like President Biden, avoid those problems because they are getting adequate air into their lungs and oxygen up to their brains.
We also know that vision loss and hearing loss increase the risk of dementia. The president wears contact lenses. He helped to lower the cost of hearing aids by deregulating their availability, but he does not appear to have a hearing problem. If he did, hearing aids would fix this. We know that emotional well-being, supportive interpersonal relationships, and a positive outlook buffer dementia probability. This president is well-known for his unflustered emotional approach and his fine-tuned emotional awareness of those around him, not a person who is likely to throw ketchup against the wall. To everyone’s knowledge, his relationship with his wife Jill remains strong despite the stresses of their public and work lives, while Valerie, his sister and campaign adviser, continues to provide major emotional ballast. Over the years he has developed and still maintains friendships with senators, congressmen, cabinet members and key allies. He has experienced great loss in his life, including his first wife, his daughter, and his son, Beau. But despite these stresses (not to mention the drug history and judgment problems of Hunter), he remains optimistic and forward looking. He seems to think young. Also a plus in the prevention column.
So, Is Joe Biden a SuperAger?
An analysis by longevity experts prior to the 2020 election thought so. Although I don't have firsthand knowledge, my 45 years of experience practicing neuropsychology also suggests yes. While I did not receive a crystal ball with my Ph.D., I’m fine with an octogenarian president who lives his life fully, has few or no bad habits, and receives excellent health care. In sum, I don’t think that Biden is an ordinary Joe.
