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Stopping the Hands of Time in Aging Is Within Our Power
The birthdays may pile up, but we can help our bodies and our minds remain “younger” if we use what is available to us.
Father Time may be in charge of the clock’s ticking and the birthdays adding up, but sitting back and waiting for the Grim Reaper is a question of attitude and lifestyle, and we have it within our power to change it.
Aging has become of research interest once again, but in new ways. We are going back to a research area that showed promise and continues to hold promise for our lives: self-perceptions of aging (SPA), a measure of satisfaction with one’s aging, is linked to physical and cognitive functioning outcomes, well-being, and life satisfaction in late life.
Self-perception of aging has also been demonstrated to be predictive of all-cause mortality in a study for more than 13 years. Doesn’t it seem of interest that what we believe about ourselves in terms of aging plays out in our longevity? Are we willing to sacrifice our lives for stereotypes?
Negative age stereotypes in early adulthood (ages 18–49) were associated with cardiovascular events (such as angina episodes, congestive heart failures, myocardial infarctions, strokes, and transient ischemic attacks). These self-fulfilling prophecies have enormous power over our health, so doesn’t it stand to…
