The Process of Ageing Is Constant Isn't It?
Plus glass half full or glass half empty?
Welcome to a fortnightly newsletter for those who aim to remain positive in the face of the challenges ageing brings. Let’s explore the ideas and experiences related to living in the second half of life, together. I’ve spent the last 30 years following the science of living healthily, mentally and physically, and putting it into practice. I continue to learn and share this knowledge in posts, podcasts and sometimes, videos. Subscribe to my newsletter for access to them.
Is The Process of Ageing Constant?
Every decade brings changes to our faces and bodies that we have to mentally and emotionally assimilate in the ageing process. Our appearance changes, we get more wrinkles as time goes on, our skin starts to sag, and we get folds and jowls. It can seem as though we just get used to one set of changes when more begin to appear. The way our body functions changes over time, too. We must work harder to maintain a good fitness level as we grow older. We assume our ageing is slow and constant.
However, a recent small study found that at the ages of 44 and 60, we age dramatically. The results were published on August 14th in the journal Nature Aging. According to this study, the human body does not age at a constant rate but accelerates at two points in midlife. The study focused on tracking the participants’ biological age as distinct from their chronological age. It happened to men too, so it could not be put down to the menopause.
Previous research suggested there’s another spike at age 78, but the oldest participants in this new study were 75, so that couldn’t be verified. Since I’ll be 78 next year, I’d be very interested to know if I’m due to age dramatically in twelve months. Lifestyle was not looked at during the study.
One interesting takeaway is that people in their forties and sixties showed declines in the ability to metabolize caffeine, which temporarily raises blood pressure, and alcohol, which at first lowers then raises blood pressure; something to remember by mid-lifers with a blood pressure problem.
Be an Optimist and Live Long
Are you a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty kind of person? Is it more beneficial to longevity to have an optimistic or pessimistic mindset? I wanted to find out what science has to say about this, so I looked into it. Optimists lean toward positivity while pessimists bend to negativity.
Those with a negative mindset may be better prepared when things go wrong because they expect it to happen. The downsides of being overly optimistic are ignoring warning signs and failing to prepare for the future.
My own mindset has been set toward the positive since my sixties, when I decided that getting older would have enough downsides to cope with, without being negative about it. Research studies reveal that having an optimistic outlook on life increases life span. They also show that optimists tend to live on average eleven to fifteen percent longer than pessimists and have an excellent chance of achieving a very long life.
One research result found that those with positive views of ageing were resilient and therefore more likely to recover from major health setbacks. Resilience was a common factor shared by the participants in a study of centenarians, so optimism and resilience go hand in hand and can predict longevity.
According to Lewina Lee, lead researcher at Harvard University analyzing 69,744 women from the NHS and 1,429 men from the Aging Study of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, optimists are better at reframing an adverse situation and responding to it more constructively. They have a more assertive attitude to life and are committed to overcoming barriers rather than thinking they can do nothing to change outcomes.
Optimism and its link to longevity are forming the basis of a new science. Mounting research evidence shows that optimism is a powerful tool for preventing disease and promoting healthy ageing. Those with an optimistic outlook are more likely to care for their health, resulting in lower incidences of age-related illness. Pessimists not only care less for their health, but the biological damage caused to their bodies by the heightened stress hormones involved in their pessimism can lead to disease.
Optimism is partly genetic. A study of five hundred pairs of twins, half reared together and half adopted apart early in life, found that optimism is 25% genetic and 75% conditioned by life events. It is possible to train your brain to be optimistic. The following are nine suggestions to help train yours if you are currently prone to pessimism.
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9 Steps to Become An Optimist
Don’t blame yourself when things go wrong.
Surround yourself with optimistic people.
Try to notice good things when they happen.
Give yourself credit when they do.
Practice self-care: eat healthily, exercise regularly and manage stress.
Cease negative self-talk and practice positive self-talk.
Remind yourself that everything is temporary.
See humour where you can.
Visualise your best possible future in detail and work towards achieving it.
Maintaining a positive mindset doesn’t mean ignoring the downsides of life as we age. It means not allowing the negativity they bring to prevent us from overcoming them. No matter how much we care for our health and wellbeing, there will be some decline, for instance, in our vision and hearing. Ensuring we get the necessary help with these should not allow them to have a detrimental effect on our lives.
Optimism doesn’t mean that you’re blind to the reality of the situation, it means that you remain motivated to seek a solution to whatever problems arise. The Dalai Lama
Join in the Comments:
Does this new study on ageing fit your own experience?
Do you find it harder as you get older to be optimistic?
Are you surprised that being optimistic can increase your life span?
I’d love to know what you think in the comments. If you enjoyed reading the post tap the share button and send the newsletter to friends who might enjoy it, too! Tapping the heart icon will show you liked it and it helps others find it. I appreciate your being here, and having read my post.
Like all studies of course, it gives generalisations. Not everyone will suddenly hit a wall at the same age. We are all different. What it is of course is a guide. I remember reading about how little our strength decreases up to our mid forties. Certainly, in my early seventies, I seem to be ‘feeling my age’ more than I did in my late sixties. That may be because of a car accident I had aged 29! I do however remain optimistic and am aware the impact mental wellbeing can have on health.
Following the positive part of my mindset, when I turned seventy I started my first Company. It’s a part-time business from something I’ve enjoyed almost all my life. It brings me pleasure and most importantly it gives others pleasure. It’s still running as a hobby (i.e. at a loss) at the moment but it keeps my mind active and gives me purpose. Purpose is important. My purpose is for it to become what is now known as a ‘side-hustle’. Which to me means ‘profitable fun’.
I have always felt that optimism is the best path forward but it’s not always easy. Especially as I have had self-doubt in many areas. Often I find meeting them head on has been successful. It’s what I’m doing with my business challenge. Certainly it’s keeping my brain active and giving me little wins to celebrate. Celebrating the little wins is so important. Little wins give us confidence. They aren’t always easy to spot, but they are there when you look for them.
I read this earlier (I am in England, so get up earlier than others) and was sorry to see no comments, so made a point of coming back to say I enjoyed reading it, so at least someone did. (I've had a day full of interruptions and nary a free moment.) Clearly, not necessary, but hello anyway. I do appreciate keeping abreast of latest scientific information, especially as it pertains to me.
I don't know when I started subscribing to you - it's gone a bit crazy in the last week - but I am 82 and, as it says on my title, stand on my head. This is because I love my yoga, not because I read Lewis Carroll as a child, although I did know and even recite that poem "You are old, father Wllliam..." I am also an optimist and, like your earlier commentator, suspect I was born that way. But I have also had a very very lucky life – adoring and adored husband for 61 years, two terrific children, two terrific grandchildren (now both teenagers), interesting work and amazingly good health.