Add 7.6 Years to Your Life

You’re getting old. How did you react to that statement? Does getting old mean something negative or positive to you? It turns out that how you relate to old age has a big impact. A Grok summary of a study cited in the book The Upside of Stress  says, “…older adults (aged 50 and above) with more positive views of aging lived an average of 7.6 years longer than those with negative views, even when controlling for factors like health status, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle behaviors. Positive perceptions were associated with lower stress-related health risks and better overall well-being, suggesting that embracing aging as a meaningful phase of life can enhance resilience and health outcomes.”

This week, I invite you to ponder: 

What does getting old mean to me? How might I change how I relate to old age in order to find greater flourishing? 

God bless,
Dan

P.S. For an insightful work on how to live old age well, I highly recommend the Roman philosopher Cicero’s On Old Age. Spoiler alert—he has a positive view of old age, and argues that your happiness has a lot to do with how you lived during your earlier years.