> It’s all about the influences

This is key. Everything else is an excuse.

My Mum is in her 70s and until she lost feeling in one of her hands (chemotherapy 23-ish years ago) she was an exceedingly fast touch typist. Even without feeling in her hands, she could still type at ~40 WPM, possibly higher depending on what she was typing. Arthritis means she now mostly uses a tablet.

But looking at other people in that age range, I can think of literally zero from church who even know how to touch type. It's probably the difference between someone who had to do secretarial work and someone who did not.

I do think your first statement is absolutely on the mark. e.g., "I'm old, and I don't understand it, so I won't try."

The old adage is still true: Whether you think you can or you can't you're probably right.

As someone who is older, I'd phrase it slightly differently. "I'm old, my time on earth will be gone in less time than you've been alive, this thing you're all excited about seems silly and pointless and doesn't solve any problem I have, so I won't waste any of my precious time on it."

This is part of why I've never used Facebook, Twitter, or any of the rest of it.

Makes sense, though I think the same reasoning is often used to excuse obviously inefficient habits. Spending a week to learn to competently use a computer would likely save most people much more than a week over the following ten or even five years.

I agree with elmomle, but mostly because I've had a number of customers many years ago (back when I worked in tech support) who were older (70+, sometimes 80+) who were absolutely willing to learn new technologies and were generally sharp people.

The difference is definitely much less about not finding new technologies useful or irritating; it's a difference, I think, between people who are genuinely curious and interested in learning new things and those who aren't.

> wonder how I can avoid that and brain plasticity excuses

I've worked on this question personally. I decided that the obvious first step to gaining the mental flexibility of youth, is to mimic youth:

* Explore: When we're young, we constantly try new things, even when there isn't an apparent ROI. We try new arts, new experiences, new ideas, new hobbies, etc. We are not afraid to ignore the established way and invest in something new - often for the novelty (or rebellion) of it. We give the new things time; we play. We are curious, not critical - we wonder why and explore the idea instead of criticizing it and shutting it down. When we are old, we often stick to what we know well and criticize the rest.

* Push yourself: In school or as a junior employee, you can't say 'I've always done it this way' or 'I'm not interested in learning something new'. You have to learn and adapt. When we're old, power corrupts - most people make those excuses and they are generally accepted. Nobody else will push you, as a rule.

There are limits in life; I don't have as much free time now as when I was young, but that's not a deal-breaker (and I use time much more efficiently now, including by prioritizing and by knowing myself much better). Also, I don't 'play' like a 6 year old or even a 25 year old; I do it my way.

I also saw it as an interesting experiment: How much of mental changes were due to changes in practice and how much due to biology. I can't provide empirical data but especially Exploration seems to have changed my life, not only mentally but significantly, emotionally: I'm much more optimistic, less jaded, and more emotionally connected than I was. Life is invigorating. A warning though: I'm challenging some norms of age and therefore peers don't grasp and sometimes reject me. I wish I could get through to them.