What is wisdom? Can it be scientifically defined? For millennia, people have defined wisdom in a variety of ways, yet many think, “I know it when I see it.” Can something so important be left to intuition, or can wisdom actually be quantified?

As a scientist, I was not satisfied with the anecdotal and subjective definitions of wisdom I found, so I created the Wisdom Research Project and wrote a book based on my findings titled Common Wisdom: 8 Scientific Elements of a Meaningful Life.

For the project, I interviewed 60 wise adults aged 50-79 across North America and scientifically defined wisdom as eight interconnected elements: resilience, kindness, positivity, spirituality, humility, tolerance, creativity, curiosity (in that order). To provide you with insights, let’s take a brief look at each of these eight elements.

The most important element of wisdom was identified as resilience, which is the idea that, regardless of the obstacle, we keep moving forward; we do not give up. We are warriors, not victims.

With every obstacle come lessons, leading to greater wisdom. Things don’t happen to you, but for you.........

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