Every so often I encounter someone who’s stuck on a story or viewpoint. The phenomenon is called 1perseveration, and we might mark this behavior as slightly problematic in most social settings. The tendency to revisit the same matters unceasingly can be a sign of mild cognitive decline. (One verbal clue: “Have I ever told you about the time when….?”) I’ve been around plenty of worry-proneMORE...
Preserving perseverance
One of the possibly least-appreciated attributes of old age is perseveration—the continual revisiting of familiar tropes, stories, worries, ideas or hopes. Like dementia—with which it’s associated—perseveration is a neurological condition that can’t be controlled. In a clinical setting, it’s associated with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. People who perseverate can’t seem to shakeMORE...