Recipes for Wisdom: Does wisdom really come with age?

Does wisdom really come with age?  The jury is still out on this, but one thing is clear, wisdom is a gift of experience and the self-awareness that comes with personal growth and meaning associated with life challenges. So, it stands to reason that perhaps older adults may have a bit more wisdom because they have lived longer and have benefited from life experience. If older adults do possess the golden gift of wisdom, then how can they share these nuggets of guidance and advice, particularly with younger generations (what psychologists call generativity).

Two undergraduate students, and a graduate student from the U of A Psychology department set out to accomplish just that. Janel Sherman and Alexa Gonzalez, students in the Insights to Healthy Aging certificate program, and Trish Chilton, a doctoral candidate in the Social Psychology program met with a dozen older adults once a month during Fall, 2023. Meeting at the TMC for Seniors location, the group called themselves the “Women’s Wisdom Circle,” and their goal was to discuss life experiences and wisdom associated with five topics chosen by Sherman and Gonzalez: friendships, happiness, success, health, and love. The lively discussion culminated in an online “Recipes of Wisdom” eBook created by Sherman, and Gonzalez put together social media posts on Instagram, highlighting wisdom as told by the participants. The meetings were facilitated by Chilton.

Here are just a few of the wisdom “recipes” (click here for full eBook via Canva)