As the old adage goes, “your attitude determines your altitude.” It may sound cheesy but it’s true, or at least for the elderly and their healths according to researchers at University of British Columbia where they looked at data of over 13,000 adults over the age of 50 years old from 2008 to 2018, from the Health and Retirement Study.
The researchers tracked changes in participants attitudes on aging and measurable changes in health and well-being through three intervals.
In the first interval, researchers recorded initial measures of health and well-being in addition to aging satisfaction.
In the second interval, the assess aging satisfaction again.
In the last interval, they measured how health and well-being measure had changed fours after the second measurement of aging satisfaction.
Results, they found that out of 35 outcomes, 27 had improved related to the participants aging satisfaction four years prior. On the other hand, poor aging satisfaction was associated with worsening health and well-being outcomes in the final measurements.
Before people poo-poo on the results saying that people have positive attitudes about aging because they are in better health, this study showed that increasing in aging satisfaction lead to improvement in health and well-being in a future date based on design of the study,
“…interventions could come at both the individual level and the broader, societal level. At the societal level, combating ageism and reducing harmful stereotypes about aging are potential paths to improving individual aging satisfaction. If a person thinks aging is destined to be a negative experience, that might become a self-fulfilling prophecy,” stated lead author, Julia Nakamura.
We encourage men to have a cheerful outlook on their aging, accept the beauty in the changes of their body, and revel in the wisdom they have accumulated through time. With proper lifestyle, aging can be a graceful practice.
JS Nakamura et al. Associations between satisfaction with aging and health and well-being outcomes among older US adults. JAMA Open Network. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.47797
