To stay healthy, you must not be afraid of aging!

If you are afraid of aging, it can have an impact on your health! This has just been demonstrated a study by the University of Oregon. Based on responses to daily surveys for 100 days given by 105 adults in this American state aged 52 to 88, the researchers analyzed their level of perceived stress and their physical health. As a result, people who had a negative perception of their aging reported three times more symptoms of physical health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease or cognitive impairment than those who had a more optimistic.

To assess how the participants lived their aging, questions such as: “do you feel the difficulties accumulate without being able to overcome them” or “as you age, are you less useful”. The conclusions that were drawn from the responses show, according to Dakota Witzel, the study’s lead author, that “thought or conversation patterns that reinforce or exaggerate certain stereotypes of aging have a physical impact on people’s lives.”

Negative stereotypes of aging

“Everyone should create positive images of themselves in the future as older adults, says Karen Hookert, co-author of this work, this would help counterbalance negative stereotypes of aging”.

Of course, but how can we positively influence the perception that everyone can have of their situation or their future as they get older? “Self-perception of aging is an area where simple interventions can make a difference, starting with recognizing that a positive outlook will impact your physical health, replies Dakota Witzel, that doesn’t mean that you have to dismiss real health issues or put on a fake smile but that benefits can be seen by those who consciously work to be positive, it’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy.