Yale study finds the secret to aging well over 65

You’re not getting any younger.But new research suggests that aging doesn’t necessarily mean life gets worse — or that things will go downhill for your mind or body.In a Yale University study, almost half of older adults above age 65 actually got sharper mentally, stronger physically, or both — and a key characteristic made a major difference.Over 60 million adults are now over the age of 65 in the US, representing about 18% of the population.And they’re living longer too — the death rate for older adults is the lowest since 1999.In the new study, Yale researchers followed participants over 65 for 12 years, measuring their physical health (through walking speed) and their brain health (with a cognitive assessment that looked at things like short-term memory and math skills).At the end of the study period, they found that 45.15% of participants showed improvement in cognition, walking speed, or both.And who was more likely to improve? Those who felt more comfortable with aging.They were found to disagre with statements like, “The older I get, the more useless I feel,” and agreed with, “I am as happy now as when I was younger.”“If this finding was extrapolated to the entire US population, it would suggest that more than 26 million older persons are experiencing an improvement in functioning,” the study’s authors noted.Unfortunately, many people don’t have the best attitudes about aging.

One study showed that Americans age 40 and up think their cognition will decline as they age, while another suggested 80% of people falsely believed all older people develop dementia.This can have serious consequences in the medical world.A doctor might dismiss symptoms because it’s seen as natural aging.

About 1 in 5 people over 50 face this kind of ageism in the US.Research shows that stereotypes about aging have a real impact on health.These negative beliefs can increase cognitive complains and impair performance on cognitive exams, as well as affec...