Positive View on Aging Leads to 13 More Years of Life

People live longer when they view aging as a developmental process, as shown by researchers from the University of Greifswald in their latest publication: People who associate personal goals and plans with aging can expect to live 13 years longer than those without such goals. As part of their study, 2,400 participants in the German Ageing Survey, who were between 40 and 85 years old in 1996, were asked about their views on aging. Over the next 23 years, the researchers documented who passed away (a total of 871 individuals).

"We already knew from a U. S. study by B.

R. Levy et al. from 2002, which studied 660 people over 23 years, that people with a positive view of aging live seven years longer (Publication).

Our study now provides more extensive and specific evidence for Germany that people who experience aging as a developmental process live 13 years longer," says Prof. Dr. Susanne Wurm, Head of the Department of Preventive Research and Social Medicine at the Institute for Community Medicine at the University of Greifswald.

In contrast to the aforementioned U. S. study, Greifswald's research also explored the diversity of aging.

The study not only examined the role of general positive age images for longevity, but also differentiated between the different perspectives people have on aging, depending on various life areas. This allowed for a comparison of which of these perspectives are truly significant for a long life. "Many people do not view aging as solely positive or negative.

Instead, they distinguish between different life areas. We were able to show for the first time that those who live longer are those who associate aging with personal development, who realize many ideas and plans and want to continue learning new things. Remarkably, it is relatively unimportant for a long life whether people associate aging with physical or social losses," says Wurm.

Co-author Dr. Sarah Schäfer adds, "We know from many other studies which psychological and health-related factors contribute to longevity. We included these in our study to ensure that age images could explain longevity beyond already known factors.

And this is indeed the case. " "The findings provide strong indications that we should primarily support people in actively shaping their aging process. The main enemy of healthy aging is the attitude of limiting oneself because it is supposedly too late for a particular plan or activity.

People learn negative images of aging throughout their lives and tend to apply these to themselves as they grow older. This age self-discrimination needs to be overcome," concludes Wurm.