Attitude About Aging Directly Influences Health, Study Suggests

Getting older is no easy task. Older individuals are typically more prone to a wider range of health issues. However, a new study shows that our attitude on age can directly affect our health, as well.

The study from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), which took place at Trinity College Dublin, showed that participants with an overall more positive attitude toward aging showed improved cognitive abilities.

"The way we think about, talk about and write about ageing may have direct effects on health," said lead study author Dr. Deidre Robertson, in a news release. "Everyone will grow older and if negative attitudes towards ageing are carried throughout life they can have a detrimental, measurable effect on mental, physical and cognitive health."

Findings revealed that older adults who carried more negative attitudes about their aging walked at a slower speed. Furthermore, their cognitive abilities had worsened two years later when compared to counterparts with a more positive attitude about aging. This was also true regardless of medications the participants were taking, mood and health changes that occurred within that two-year-period.

"Researchers and policy makers can work together to develop and implement societal-wide interventions to target attitudes and perhaps, ultimately, find novel ways of maintaining health in later life," said principal investigator of TILDA, Rose Anne Kenny.

The study is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

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