Professor Susan Greenfield

There is saying in German ' Er hat sich dumm studiert' meaning you can spend too much time studying or hanging over books ( and computers) that you no longer know much about REAL life.
Prof Greenfield had no children and although its good carreerwise life begins to feel empty after 50. I feel sorry for her.

Now I'm off again to the shops before everything closes down in Germany at noon tomorrow. That's the real German Xmas, no shops open.
I'm glad I have my own lips, I wouldn't dare go into town with full kissable bright red lips.

Tegan , LOL !

A prime example being Cherie Blair....I mean, even I've got more sense than she has...

I am constantly surprised at how very very silly Clever/ intellectual people can be.

Quite a nice idea MX, wonder if all will subscribe !!

She is the one using botox and lip fillers at 63. doesn't sound too secure to me. Of course she will retain her financial success and brains, but she's the one trying to keep looking young.

She knows a lot about the brain, perhaps she knows something we don't know!

Joan Bakewell is another

Margaret why should Susan Greenfield lose her brains and financial success by being old?
There are many women who have remained successful in later life - Mary Warnock, Onora O'Neill and Baroness Trumpington, to name but three.

I think she does look good for 63. I presume she was always good looking and we had a thread about that .That they often find life easier for being born with good looks. Having tried to read some of her scientific publications, I have to admit that she is very brainy as well.
So, looks, brains and financial success. She has a good reason not to want to lose it just by being old. What the 20/30 year olds actually think about her will remain their secret!

I can't be bothered about whether I look old. I do my hair, wear make up and am still reasonably slim but I rejoice when I see my daughters and enjoy looking at their luxurious hair, bright eyes and slim figures.

Why should we of the older generation be wanting all these youthful things. we had our day and lived it up! At least I did. There must be more to life than how you look.

What is the problem with getting older anyway? It ia a whole lot better than the alternative

On a more serious note - I am 63. A dear friend died at 62. I feel privileged and thankful to be here so I don't intend to waste time fretting about my looks.

'superficiality'

What you see in the mirror is not always about the superfciality of the face one sees.

Flickety said: "When I look in the mirror I see my face, I am quite familiar with it. It looks older than it did; 10, 20, 30, 40,.... years ago and younger than it will look in 10 or20 years time, should I live that long. What more is there to say?"

Exactly.

I think it is important to mix with all sorts of people – younger/older, same background/different back, same interests/different interests, etc. That's one of the reasons I find the idea of an old people's ghetto (or a gated community, for that matter) a horrifying thought.

I do think that mixing with younger people may not keep you young but certainly is refreshing and energising. Most of my friends are, like myself, past retiral age and conversation tends to be about ill health, medication of grandchildren. It is good to have younger friends to give a different perspective on life.

I repeat what I said on another thread, people of more mature years who keep going on about how young they look or how young they are mentally, generally, look very much their age and use the second as an excuse for childish behaviour.

When I look in the mirror I see my face, I am quite familiar with it. It looks older than it did; 10, 20, 30, 40,.... years ago and younger than it will look in 10 or20 years time, should I live that long. What more is there to say?

I suppose to be fair she is being questioned for a regular Guardian column which asks people how they feel about their looks (What I see in the Mirror)

It's probably true that being with younger people helps to bring out the younger self. I certainly feel more youthful when I am with my DGC.

Gee! Thanks!

You're more like a Pearly Queen Galen

What a strange attitude for someone so apparently intelligent and well-educated. You would have thought she might have better things to think about!!

Hey! I have long grey white/silver hair and I don't think I look like the witch of the east!
Do I? I'm worried now!

Before looking at the article my mental picture of her was of someone not very attractive anyway [she seems to be one of those people that look good for their age but wasn't very pretty when young]. Reminds me of Sam Taylor Wood and the dreadful Edwina Currie. She's so respected in her field that I doubt people treat her totally like 'one of them' anyway. I must say that the thing I miss most about working is mixing with people of all ages not as a mother or a granny but just as 'myself'.

Coming back to your original question Riverwalk yes it does seem an odd thing for her to say, but looking at Wikipedia, I think she has no children, and perhaps that explains it.
Not sure what she means by a 'younger mentality' anyway, but if she means being able to understand txtspeak, knowing what Facebook is, being au fait with what younger people are wearing, thinking etc, surely we all get that through contact with our own DCs and DGCs. Perhaps her young colleagues are children-substitutes.
I think we're probably all old and wise enough to select our friends and company on the basis of people who interest us and whom we like, irrespective of their age.

What an interesting series. Susan Greenfield comes across as surprisingly shallow.

Suzi Quatro sounds as though she has a much more mature and balanced attitude.

"The first thing I do when I look in the mirror is smile. I always smile because I'm happy with myself. I'm 63 and I think, "It's not that bad."

I know I'm ageing, but that's all right. I don't chase my teenage years – that's not who I am any more. I'm a very realistic person. I look in the mirror and I see whatever lines there are and I'm OK with that."