A positive attitude towards aging leads to better health finds new study

A recent study has found new evidence to support the idea that aging can be just a state of mind, finding that those who have a positive attitude towards growing older also enjoy better health as they advance in age.

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), at Trinity College Dublin, provided the research team access to the attitudes of 4135 seniors who were taking part in the study.

As well as measuring participants' attitudes on aging using a questionnaire, the study also collected data on the participants' cognitive health and levels of frailty.

The team's key findings showed that two years into the study, older adults with a negative attitude towards growing old showed a slower walking speed and a decrease in cognitive ability than those who had a more positive outlook on aging. These findings remained true even after the researchers had taken into account other factors such as medication, mood, and any life circumstances and health changes that had occurred during the two-year period.

And although frail older adults are also at risk of other health problems, including a dscrease in cognitive abilities, in the study the researchers found that a positive attitude seemed to protect frail seniors somewhat in this area. Participants who held negative attitudes towards aging showed worse cognition compared to participants who were not frail, but frail participants with positive attitudes towards aging showing the same level of cognitive ability as those who weren't frail.

Lead researcher Dr Deirdre Robertson commented on the results saying, "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."

The findings were published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

A previous study 2014 out of University College London found similar results, with seniors who had a more positive outlook on aging and felt more satisfied with their life also enjoying a more independent and healthier life.

The researchers found that participants who reported higher levels of life satisfaction were able to remain more independent for longer than their more negative counterparts, and showed a slower decline in performing daily tasks such as getting out of bed, getting dressed, bathing and showering. Participants who reported a lower level of life satisfaction however were three times more likely to develop problems in carrying out these daily activities.