20 - Adulthood:
Biosocial Development
Age 25 +
Senescence
• Gradual physical decline related to aging
Aging brain
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Neurons fire more slowly
Brain size decreases
Processing takes longer
Severe brain loss due to:
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Drug use
Poor circulation
Viruses
Genes
Physical appearance
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Age 30-Skin becomes thinner & less flexible
Age 60 – All faces are wrinkled
Hair turns gray & thinner
“Middle-age spread” appears
Muscles weaken
Height decreases
▫ Natural collapse of vertebrae in spine
• Effects are less if you exercise
Sense organs
• Vision
▫ Peripheral vision narrows
▫ Color vision shifts (vivid to faded more quickly)
▫ Farsightedness increases
• Hearing
▫ Loss not apparent until after 60
Sexual-Reproductive System
• Sexual responsiveness
▫ Arousal is slower
▫ Orgasm takes longer
• All ages enjoy sex
• Men & women – most likely “extremely
satisfied” with sex if in a committed,
monogamous relationship
Fertility
• 15% of all couples are infertile
• 40’s = half are infertile, half risk complications
Causes of infertility
• Males
▫ Responsible for 1/3 of infertility
▫ Age, radiation, drugs, stress, drug abuse, alcoholism
cigarette smoking
 Reduces sperm number, shape, and motility
• Females
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Responsible for 1/3 of infertility
1/3 of infertility is a mystery
Age, diseases, smoking, esteem dieting, obesity
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) – Can block
fallopian tubes
Treatments of infertility
• Assisted reproductive technology (ART)
▫ Overcome low sperm count & blocked fallopian
tubes
• In Vitro fertilization (IVF)
▫ Eggs (ova) removed and fertilized with sperm in
the laboratory
▫ After fertilized cells (Zygotes) have divided several
times – inserted into the woman’s uterus
Menopause
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Around age 50 – Menstrual periods cease
Ovulation stops
Estrogen, progesterone & testosterone drops
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
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Usually estrogen & progesterone
Minimizes menopausal symptoms
Reduces risk of osteoporosis
Involves health risks
 Not recommended as much today
Male menopause (Andropause)
• Drop in testosterone
▫ Reduced sexual desire, erections, & muscle mass
▫ Effectiveness of HRT is questionable
Health habits and age
▫ Diseases and chronic conditions are strongly
affected by lifestyle
▫ Drug abuse
 Abuse of illegal drugs decreases
 Abuse of prescription drugs increases
▫ Tobacco
 Lung cancer = leading cause of cancer deaths
(including women) in North America
 Declined in U.S.
 Rising in developing nations
 Affected by social norms, laws, & advertising
Health habits & age (Cont.)
• Drinking
▫ In moderation
 Reduces coronary heart disease and strokes
 Increased “good” cholesterol (HDL)
 Reduces “Bad” cholesterol (LDL)
▫ Heavy drinking
 Increases violent death
 Implicated in 60 diseases
▫ Drinking alcohol is not a health strategy
• Overeating
▫ Excess weight increases every chronic disease
▫ E.g. diabetes
Health habits & age (Cont.)
• U.S. = Highest rate of obesity and diabetes
• Metabolism decreases by 1/3
• Genetics – Correlates with weight and diabetes
▫ Cultural influences are more important
• Inactivity – Correlates with almost every
unhealthy condition
Stress
• Dealing with stress
▫ Problem –focused coping
 Solve the problem causing the stress
 Used more by men
▫ Emotion focused coping
 Change your feelings about the situation causing the
stress
 Used more by women
• High stress increases the risk of disease
Measuring health
• Mortality = Death
▫ Number of deaths each year per 1,000 people in a
population
• Morbidity = Disease
▫ The rate of physical, emotional and fatal diseases
in a population
Income and health
• Well-educated, financially secure adults (with
high socioeconomic status – SES) live longer
▫ Healthy habits
▫ Better housing
▫ Better medical care