Re-Thinking Age: Keep it Positive!

How we view aging affects how well we age! Aging is often characterized as a time where life begins to slow down. In a recent Pew Research Center study, it was found that young people often overestimate the difficulties they believed they would have as they aged. This reflects the idea that with age comes restriction, which is in fact untrue in many ways. These negative thought patterns around aging are detrimental towards the reality that aging can also be a time of incredible personal growth and enjoyment. 

By changing the way that we think about aging, we not only live more happily, but also longer. According to Gerontologist Donna Fedus, research shows negative thinking about aging can shorten a person’s life span by 7.5 years, so changing attitudes is a key to longer, healthier aging. In this same research it was discovered that subjects who thought negatively of old age did worse on hearing tests and showed heightened cardiovascular stress. When older people were exposed to negative words connected to aging like “feeble” and “forgetful” they performed with less success on memory and motor skills tests. These same test subjects were also measured as walking away from the study site at a slower pace. 

Negative thinking about aging may be more prevalent in our lives than we expect. When we are forgetful or are struggling physically it can be easy to label these experiences as aging itself. We should be careful when we use the phrase “senior moment” or even “I feel old.” While aging does include physical, mental and emotional challenges, these do not define a period of life that can be filled with meaning and enjoyment.

The team at Hillsborough Wills & Trusts encourages your long-term efforts to take care of yourself and has the expertise to help you Build Your Circle of Security.

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