How Much Does Age Impact How You Play Chess?

I went inactive on this site for several years. I am finally back, and I have been an adult for 2 years while when I joined the site I wasn't even a teenager. I understand experience is the key to improvement, but I thought about an interesting question... how much does age impact how you play chess? 

I remember some games I used to play as a child I return to as an adult and with no practice, I am better than I was before because I know more... aka older. I wondered if for chess it would happen too...

How much does age play in the role of chess? Is there any examples or ideas y'all could give? Or maybe y'all experienced getting older affecting the way y'all play chess? Whether you're 13 or 63, I appreciate replies.

Too bad Chess Theories isn't a possible forum tag!

6years old...

Yes, age does impact chess performance, but it's not all doom and gloom! While we might experience some decline in processing speed and working memory as we age (making it harder to calculate multiple variations quickly), there's actually a silver lining. Chess also has been shown to help combat cognitive decline. Regular play can maintain brain function, improve memory, and enhance concentration. Many older players compensate for slower calculations with better pattern recognition and accumulated experience. Interestingly, playing chess itself acts as a protective factor against age-related cognitive decline. So while age might change HOW we play (perhaps shifting from tactical to more positional play), it doesn't necessarily mean we have to get worse at chess. This also might indicate that it might be sometimes more important to focus on positional understanding, besides staying physically active and learning new concepts to challenge your brain.

Maybe when we're younger we're more impetuous? Overconfident? We don't think as deeply when we're younger (and paradoxically see ourselves as a Colusses of the chessboard)? For sure we don't have as much experience.

I feel it can have little affect on chess performance, and that age doesn't matter but rather maturity does, I saw someones response speaking on how children are typically more overconfident but also their are young grandmasters. I feel determination and maturity is what affects a persons skill in chess and I don't think age has much to do with it.