Does changing the Mind-Set affect our ageing?

The truth

One cannot stop the march of time, but there is no need to dread it. People who think positively about getting older often live longer, healthier lives. At a pre-departure briefing this summer, we discovered Ms. Joshi climbed as a co-traveller. The occasion? Celebration of her 90th birthday in Japan along with an unknown group whom she planned to cultivate and win as friends. “I’ve always looked forward to travel at this stage of life where there’s a lot more peace without the struggles of daily existence and survival that enveloped me when younger,” said Ms. Joshi, who lives in Thane, India, and is a retired school teacher. Her enthusiasm for making the most of what comes across her age could be part of the reason she has lived such a long, rich life. While everyone’s experience with aging is different, experts are increasingly finding that having a +ve mind-set is associated with aging well.

 

The proof

A decades-long study of 660 people published in 2002 showed that those with +ve beliefs around getting older lived 7½ half years longer than those who felt -vely about it. Since then, research has found that a +ve mind-set towards aging is associated with lower BP, a generally longer and healthier life and a ↓ risk of developing dementia. Research also shows that people with a more +ve perception of aging are more likely to take preventive health measures — like exercising — which, in turn, may help them live longer. -ve stereotypes of aging are everywhere and breathing in such beliefs can affect our view of the process & our health, says Becca Levy, author of “Breaking the Age Code: How Your Age Beliefs Determine How Long and Well You Live.” A 2009 study, for example, found that people in their 30s who held -ve stereotypes of aging were significantly more likely to experience a cardiovascular event like a heart attack or stroke, later in life than those with positive ones.

 

The Course correction

·       People can strengthen their positive age beliefs at any age. In one 2014 study, 100 adults — with an average age of 81 — who were exposed to +ve images of aging showed both improved perceptions of aging and improved physical function.

·       To change -ve age beliefs, one needs to become more aware of them and this is where the old benefits of diary writing kick in. Try a week of “age belief journaling,” in which you write down every portrayal of an older person — whether in a movie, on social media or in a conversation. Then question if that portrayal was negative or positive, and whether the person could have been presented differently. Simply identifying the sources of your conceptions about aging can help you gain some distance from negative ideas.

·       Associating aging with only loss or limitation means that you’re not getting the full picture of what it means to age. Instead shift your attention - look around for role models, see who’s doing it well. It might just be someone who attends a yoga class every week or volunteers for a cause.

·       Search and discover 5 older people who have done something you deem impressive or have a quality that you admire, whether it’s falling in love later in life, showing devotion to helping others or maintaining a commitment to physical fitness.

·       Research suggests that optimistic women are more likely to live past 90 than less optimistic women, regardless of race or ethnicity. But thinking more positively about aging doesn’t mean cover real concerns with happy thoughts or using phrases like “You haven’t aged!” as a compliment. Such things are tone-deaf. Instead, try to look at the honest reality with optimism. If you’re feeling deflated that your table tennis game isn’t as strong in your 70s as it once was, remind yourself: “No, I can’t play tennis like I did when I was 50, and I can only play for 10 minutes. But I can still play.”

·       Challenge your own fears about getting older and examine what worries you have about the process and then reflect on how troubling those concerns actually are.

·       If you are having an issue with your left hip or knee, don’t feel that I’m old and that is why I feel stiff and creaky but revive yourself by feeling hey, my right hip isn’t stiff and creaky, and it’s the same age. The point is that while getting older may be contributing to the hip or knee pain, it’s not the only factor because associating age with disability scares people.

·       Research has shown that emotional well-being generally increases with age, and certain aspects of nonsense recognition, and conflict resolution, often improve in later life. Focus on aspects like these that you are gaining, too. With time, we are likely to develop more resilience – the ability to cheer up and bounce back.

 

The conclusion

Successful aging does not mean that we won’t get sick, encounter loss or require care at some point, or changing any mind-set is easy. But if we can, it will allow us to see ourselves more clearly “as a person with lived experience and profound wisdom” as we age.