09 Apr A Yale Professor Shatters False Beliefs About Aging and Uncovers 4 Truths to a Longer and Happier Life
Ageism is alive and well.
And that’s not a good thing.
Because many “older” people are alive and well and yet, face daily discrimination based on myths and misconceptions.
Ageing need NOT include physical or psychological decline. At least not as much as many think.
In fact, many older people are happy and healthy and active and productive.
This is good news of people of any age! If you’re young or old, there’s hope and much to look forward to …
via Inc.com by Marcel Schwantes
By 2030, 71 million Americans will be over age 65, according to the U.S. Census. Some economists and CEOs are wringing their hands over what they call “the silver tsunami,” but they’re missing the point. The fact that so many people are getting to experience old age is one of society’s greatest achievements.
It’s also an extraordinary opportunity to rethink what it means to grow old. Our lives are the product of so many different factors that we can’t control: where we are born and to whom, what’s in our genes, and which accidents befall us.
Dr. Becca Levy, renowned Yale professor and author of the book Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live, is interested in identifying those factors we can control to improve our aging experiences and health. One of those factors is the way we think about aging.
We can change how we think of ourselves and those around us as we grow old to enjoy the benefits of this change. Here are five surprising takeaways from her decades of research.
1. Memory doesn’t have to get worse as we age
We often refer to vexing lapses in memory by saying we’re having “a senior moment.” But why “a senior moment” when it’s something that can happen at any age? The reality is that these “moments” have nothing specifically to do with “seniors” or old age.
“Older persons aren’t the only ones who get struck with occasional moments of forgetfulness,” Levy says, “which is what makes the innocuous or even cute-seeming term ‘senior moment’ such a perfect microcosm of the insidious mechanisms and effects of ageism.”
Indeed, some forms of memory can actually improve in later life…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE