Feminist writer and activist Betty Friedan once said, “Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” Researchers have proven her words to be prophetic, as studies indicate that having a positive outlook about the benefits of getting older can help you to stay mentally, physically and psychologically younger.
At Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland, they conducted the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging. They discovered that a positive attitude about aging may help prevent older adults from becoming frail. In turn, being stronger physically appears to help keep their minds sharp. On the flip side, they noted that having negative attitudes about aging correlates to a decline in both physical and cognitive health in later years.
The study’s key findings were:
- Older adults with negative attitudes towards aging had slower walking speed and worse cognitive abilities two years later, compared to older adults with more positive attitudes towards aging.
- This was true even after participants’ medications, mood, life circumstances and other health changes had occurred over the same two-year period were accounted for.
- Furthermore, negative attitudes towards aging seemed to affect how different health conditions interacted. Frail older adults are at risk of multiple health problems including worse cognition. In the study’s sample, frail participants with negative attitudes towards aging had worse cognition compared to participants who were not frail.
Lead researcher Deirdre Robertson, Ph.D., described her team’s findings, “The way we think about, talk about and write about aging may have direct effects on health. Everyone will grow older and if negative attitudes towards aging are carried throughout life they can have a detrimental, measurable effect on mental, physical and cognitive health.”
This study from Trinity College Dublin reminds us that when it comes to aging, “attitude is everything.” It also draws into sharp relief that our self-perceptions about aging are important predictors of physical and cognitive function in later life. If you are feeling cynical about aging, it’s probably time for an attitude adjustment.
Your self-perceptions about aging are in your control. You can decide to view getting older as a wholly negative experience, or you can focus on all the silver linings and benefits of being older. The choice is yours.
