The Key To Living Forever Is…Feeling Young?
Based on a new research letter, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, it’s all about faking it until you make it if you want to live longer. Individuals who felt younger than their age lived longer than individuals who felt older than their age. That was the conclusion reached in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, which followed 6,489 individuals over an average of 99 months. Mortality rates were lower in adults who felt younger than their years compared to individuals who felt older.
“The mechanisms underlying these associations merit further investigation. Possibilities include a broader set of health behaviors than we measured (such as maintaining a healthy weight and adherence to medical advice), and greater resilience, sense of mastery and will to live among those who feel younger than their age. Self-perceived age has the potential to change, so interventions may be possible. Individuals who feel older than their actual age could be targeted with health messages promoting positive health behaviors and attitudes toward aging,” reads the study’s conclusion.
http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.6580
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