Get it? Your ability to understand jokes decreases with age, according to researchers at Washington University. According to the Associated Press: “The research indicates that because older adults may have greater difficulty with cognitive flexibility, abstract reasoning and short-term memory, they also have greater difficulty with tests of humor comprehension.” The researchers tested a group of adults over age 65 and another group of graduate students. Participants were asked to complete jokes and pick the right punch line for verbal stories and comics. Younger adults did 6 percent better on verbal jokes, and 14 percent better on the comics. “There are basic cognitive mechanisms to understanding what’s going on in a joke,” Wash U psychology professor Brian Carpenter told the AP. “Older adults, because they may have deficits in some of those cognitive areas, may have a harder time understanding what a joke is about.”

Or, maybe their material just wasn’t very good? The comic strip used in the test was Ferd’nand, that goofy Danish fellow. Not funny at any age.

Barack Obama wants to move past Boomer era politics, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want the biggest generation’s votes. Obama launched an “online presence” on Eons, Jeff Taylor’s 50-plus social networking site. All the candidates have outposts on MySpace and other social networking sites, but this marks the first time a candidate has set up a page at Eons.

Obama’s only 45 years old, so Jeff must have decided to make an exception to his “no one under 50″ membership rule. Especially since we’re talking about a guy running away from the legacy of the Boomer political era as fast as he can. Obama launched his campaign saying Americans are yearning for “a different kind of politics” that move beyond the ideological battles of the 1960s, and he’s been sticking to that theme.

What do we learn about Obama on his Eons page?

• Favorite activites: “basketball, writing and loafing w/kids.”
• Favorite tv show: Sportscenter.
• Favorite quote: Martin Luther King. “The Arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

The reception from Eonites has been warm, judging by member comments.

The Brookings Institution published a study this week projecting growth of older populations in the U.S. in the years ahead. Drawing primarily on U.S. Census data, the study has just about anything you want to know about the demographic Brookings dubs “pre-seniors”–Boomers age 55-64. Highlights:

• Pre-seniors will be the fastest-growing group in the U.S. through 2010, expanding nearly 50 percent in size.
• Fastest growth will occur in the Western U.S. in a diverse range of locations, ranging from larger cities like Las Vegas to smaller towns and counties.
• “Yuppie Senior” populations will surge in big cities like Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas and Atlanta, fueled by high net worth, professional occupations and interests
• Aging in place will be a key growth driver, especially in states like Georgia
• Suburbs in major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles will become considerably older in their population mix. However, author William H. Frey acknowledges this trend could be affected in Boomers decide to leave the suburbs and move into cities.

Nothing too surprising here, but there’s a great deal of interesting detail, especially very detailed and useful charts projecting population growth nationally by city, county and state.. Get your copy here [pdf file].

It’s all about lifestage–not age. USA Today writes that age is diminishing in importance as a factor limiting what people do with their lives. Crux of the story:

Age used to be an important way to organize life, but now, the picture is changing: People are living longer and often staying healthy into their 70s and 80s; many go back to school and start second careers. Meanwhile, more young college graduates are delaying entry into a tight job market. Some opt for grad school or public service; many put off marriage and family. And children seem to grow up faster, trading toys for cellphones and buddy lists while still in elementary school. In many ways, the confluence of these threads has made a person’s chronological age less relevant. And those new attitudes about age are spawning laws and policies that reflect such changes.

The paper cites examples, including an increasing number of young people covered by their parents’ health care insurance up to age 30; the U.S. Army’s decision to lift the maximum enrollment age from 40 to 42; and the FAA’s decision to lift the maximum age for pilots from 60 to 65. Increasing longevity opens up a range of new options to people in their 70s and beyond.

SF Weekly printed several interesting letters about the Martin Kuz indictment of the Boomer generation, including a good rejoinder from Paul Kleyman, editor of Aging Today:

“Instead of offering an informative debate, Kuz treats his readers to a diatribe of cheap shots and generational bashing. Especially bizarre is how Kuz conflates our two Boomer presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as evidence of their generation’s profligacy. But, as the Don Imus crowd knows well, bashing groups larger than a basketball team is easier than investing energy in good journalism.”

Marketing consultant Brent Green weighs in today on Boomtastrophe and other recent anti-Boomer screeds. Green, who specializes in the Boomer market, focuses in particular on Rocky Mountain News Gex X columnist Lisa Bornstein, who’s annoyed by the spotlight thrown on the 50+ crowd by the New York Times Magazine and other media outlets. Her basic message: we’re tired of you, get out of our way. Things must be awfully quiet in Colorado if this is the best thing Bornstein can find to write about. But Green’s open-letter response makes for good reading.