WELLNESS-Here in the city of angels, age is often considered a four-letter word and too many people have the goal to not only slow it down but rather eradicate it all together. They are afraid of aging to the point that they will do just about anything to prevent it from happening. There is some new research that is turning the aging stigmas upside down by proving scientifically that life very often improves with age.
Research studies compiled at Buffalo University and Northwestern University followed 156 aging couples for 20 years focusing on the affects of aging and happiness. They found that these older couples argued much less and were more likely to agree to disagree instead of fight. It seems that as people age they learn how to direct their energy and attitudes better and feel less of a need to be right, and more of a need for peace and harmony.
Another study published in the Journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science followed 198,888 people from 83 countries and found that as people age, there is an increase in trust. This trust translates into a higher level of well being and general happiness. For baby boomers, gen X’ers and millenials alike, it looks like trust increases with age. They have different theories as to why this occurs, but evidence points to the fact that older people are more likely to forgive small mistakes and stay focused on the positive attributes of those around them.
An additional factor in the aging and happiness theory is that people tend to choose more carefully with whom they interact, as they get older. The old adage “there is not enough time for negative people” becomes more literal and older people tend to surround themselves with those that are more positive and have a healthier outlook than the people they spent time with when they were younger.
More studies need to be done to clarify differences between people of different races, socioeconomic class, and sexuality. That said this research is exploring the real possibility that with aging comes more happiness and fulfillment, and not less.
The stigmas of aging need to be broken down especially in urban areas so focused on the outside appearance. These studies say nothing about the other benefits of aging such as the wisdom that comes with a long life, or the compassion that people tend to develop in the process of living through pain, loss, and struggle. The experience that older people bring to the table usually far exceeds the knowledge of their younger fresh-faced counterparts.
In our next article we will talk about “superagers” and how it is possible to have a brain up to 30 years younger than your chronological age.
(Christian Cristiano is an acupuncturist in LA, TV host of Wellness for Realists and writes on wellness regularly for CityWatch. Christian can be reached at 323.935.3420. twitter: @CristianoWFR)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 27
Pub: Mar 31, 2015
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