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Summary:
Science is reshaping the way
we think about the older
body, memory and sex drive.
More and more, how we grow
old is a personal choice.
Older folks are going back
to school in their 50s,
starting businesses in their
60s, training for triathlons
in their 70s and, yes,
having sex in their 80s.
 In
just three years, the first
of 80 million baby boomers
will turn 60, an age once
associated with early bird
dinner specials and slow
driving in the fast lane.
But today, age 60 looks like
Geraldo Rivera, Mick Jagger
and Lauren Hutton, all of
whom will enter their
seventh decade this year.
More and more, how we grow
old is a personal choice.
Older folks are going back
to school in their 50s,
starting businesses in their
60s, training for triathlons
in their 70s and, yes,
having sex in their 80s.
This is a good thing,
according to researchers who
have found that negative
stereotypes about aging can
actually shorten your life.
A Yale University study last
year in the Journal of
Personality and Social
Psychology found that people
who have a positive
perception of aging tend to
live seven and a half years
longer than those who don't.
The difference may be the
result of a better response
to stress or even just the
will to live, according to
the study.
What brain drain?
Recent research has found
that memory studies can
intimidate elderly subjects
into performing poorly.
Older subjects score higher
on memory tests if they
aren't explicitly told that
the study is about memory
and aging, according to a
study by researchers at
North Carolina State
University in Raleigh.
We are swayed by our own
expectations. The new
research, reported in the
Journal of Gerontology,
found that elderly subjects
scored 20 to 30 percent
worse on memory tests after
reading a pessimistic
newspaper account about
aging and memory than those
who read a cheerful article
about growing older.
People who have an upbeat
outlook on aging are also
more likely to take control
and responsibility for their
health. Curbing lifestyle
diseases caused by obesity,
lack of exercise, smoking
and chronic stress is
perhaps the biggest hurdle
in the aging game. Nearly 55
percent of Americans are
overweight and some 22
percent are obese, according
to the National Institutes
of Health. The rates are
even higher for Americans
over age 50. These are
startling numbers when one
considers the impact this
will have on future rates of
heart disease, diabetes,
high blood pressure and
arthritis. Arthritis alone
plagues half of all
Americans over age 64.
"People of all ages are
always looking for a magic
bullet," says Fox Wetle,
Ph.D., assistant dean of the
Brown School of Medicine in
Rhode Island. Wetle says
that while there is no easy
way out, exercise may be the
"magic shotgun."
Troubling health trends --
such as obesity --
notwithstanding, new
research shows a bright
future for those of us
entering midlife. Many
symptoms long associated
with aging are actually
signs of disease, according
to recent studies.
Between the ages of 30 and
90, the brain loses about 10
percent of its volume.
Forgetfulness isn't an
automatic result, however.
Scientists have recently
found that loss of brain
cells due to aging isn't as
steep as once thought. In
fact, they now believe
memory problems aren't a
natural part of growing
older. Studies have shown
that people with bad
memories as older adults
probably had the same
deficiency when they were
younger. But later in life,
we may attribute it to
aging.
Crossword puzzles,
practicing the piano and
playing chess exercise the
brain, counteracting these
natural changes. Exercise
helps cognitive function
too, studies show.
I Want Your Sex
Older people are still
amorous with surprising
frequency, according to a
study presented recently at
the annual meeting of the
American Urological
Association.
More than 4,000 people
between the ages of 40 and
80 were polled in the U.S.,
Canada, Australia and New
Zealand. Around 30 percent
of men aged 70 to 80
reported having sex five
times in the past month,
although only 8 percent of
women reported doing so.
Most women said the lack of
sex was due to the absence
of a partner. Indeed, the
study found women were more
likely to be widowed.
Still, sexual dysfunction
was an issue for both sexes,
with some 40 percent of men
reporting problems such as
erectile dysfunction.
Exercise is an antidote for
that too, perhaps even more
so than pills, according to
a two-year study from the
Cologne University Medical
Center in Germany.
Researchers studied men with
circulatory problems and
prescribed either an
exercise program, the
prescription drug Viagra or
a placebo. The exercise
group, which focused on
working pelvis and leg
muscles, reported 80 percent
better erections, while
Viagra resulted in a 74
percent increase in sexual
arousal.
But it's not just sex that
matters. Social support
makes both men and women
less vulnerable to health
problems, according to a
study at the University of
California at Irvine. People
ages 58 to 90 who described
themselves as lonely were
particularly at risk.
"It's really important to
have confidantes and social
support for general health,"
says Wetle. "We all need
something to look forward to
that will get us up in the
morning."
Article published with
permission of
www.psychologytoday.com
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