{"id":436290,"date":"2022-04-23T17:00:40","date_gmt":"2022-04-23T14:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/your-bad-attitude-about-aging-could-add-7-5-years-to-your-life\/"},"modified":"2022-04-23T17:00:40","modified_gmt":"2022-04-23T14:00:40","slug":"your-bad-attitude-about-aging-could-add-7-5-years-to-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-bad-attitude-about-aging-could-add-7-5-years-to-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"#Your bad attitude about aging could add 7.5 years to your life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e20ec47f3a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e20ec47f3a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-bad-attitude-about-aging-could-add-7-5-years-to-your-life\/#%E2%80%9CYour_bad_attitude_about_aging_could_add_75_years_to_your_life%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Your bad attitude about aging could add 7.5 years to your life&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CYour_bad_attitude_about_aging_could_add_75_years_to_your_life%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Your bad attitude about aging could add 7.5 years to your life&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>When Yale professor Becca Levy began conducting her decades-long research on the psychology of aging, she would routinely ask people to think of five words to describe an older person. In the US, the most common answer was \u201cmemory loss.\u201d In China, it was \u201cwisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As her research would find, the answer to this question had major impact. Your answer could fundamentally change how you age \u2014 even adding 7.5 years to your life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the new book \u201cBreaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long &amp; Well You Live,\u201d Levy draws on decades of research and interviews to show how positive age beliefs are key to enjoying our golden years \u2014 and maintaining our health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn study after study I conducted, I found that older people with more-positive perceptions of aging performed better physically and cognitively than those with more-negative perceptions,\u201d Levy writes. \u201cThey were more likely to recover from severe disability, they remembered better, they walked faster, and they even lived longer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Levy\u2019s findings are timelier than ever. For the first time in history, there are now more people worldwide over the age of 64 than under the age of 5. Some have even referred to it as a \u201csilver tsunami\u201d or \u201cgray wave.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But as we live longer than ever, age beliefs in the US are only becoming more negative. From TV shows to advertisements to who gets access to quality medical treatment and employment opportunities \u2014 ageism abounds and American culture treats old age as if it inevitably means \u201cforgetfulness, weakness, and decline.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/active-seniors.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"For the first time in history, there are now more people over the age of 64 than under the age of five.\" class=\"wp-image-21973872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/active-seniors.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/active-seniors.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/active-seniors.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>For the first time in history, there are now more people over the age of 64 than under the age of five.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Alamy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As one older Englishwoman wrote to Levy: \u201cFrankly I feel ashamed to be old. Why? Because society tells me it is shameful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When we reach old age ourselves, Levy says the age stereotypes we\u2019ve absorbed in our youth become a self-fulfilling prophecy: We\u2019ve primed ourselves to expect our minds and bodies to decline in old age \u2014 so we\u2019re less likely to engage in behaviors that keep us healthy, seeing it as futile.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The good <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>: No matter your age, Levy\u2019s research shows your age beliefs aren\u2019t fixed. Levy found we all hold positive beliefs about aging \u2014 they just need activation.<\/p>\n<p>And one key way to develop more positive beliefs is to celebrate older people who are bucking negative age stereotypes and proving that getting older can be great.<\/p>\n<p>Here, a few lessons we can all learn from our elders and Levy\u2019s research to help us care for our longevity, memory, and physical health.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/kane-tanaka.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\u201cAge-thriving\u201d is big in Japan, where the world\u2019s oldest woman, Kane Tanaka, 119, is celebrated as a national treasure. \" class=\"wp-image-21971066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/kane-tanaka.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/kane-tanaka.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/kane-tanaka.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>\u201cAge-thriving\u201d is big in Japan, where the world\u2019s oldest woman, Kane Tanaka, 119, is celebrated as a national treasure. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Kyodo News via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Celebrate Aging<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On Jan. 2, Kane Tanaka crossed a historic milestone that she shared with the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>verse (with some help from her great-granddaughter): The supercentenarian turned 119.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tanaka lives in a nursing home on an island in the Okinawa region of Japan, and she\u2019s the world\u2019s oldest living person. Born in 1903, Tanaka worked in her husband\u2019s rice shop from the age of 19 until the age of 103, according to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/01\/03\/asia\/kane-tanaka-turns-119-intl-scli\/index.html\">CNN<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Today, she\u2019s treated as a celebrity in Japan, even starring on Japanese reality TV. And on Keiro No Hi, a national holiday in Japan which translates to \u201cRespect for the Aged Day,\u201d her entire town throws her a party as elders nationwide are celebrated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Japanese [treat] old age as something to enjoy, a fact of being alive, rather than something to fear or resent,\u201d Levy writes.<\/p>\n<p>If our society were to shift to an \u201cage-thriving\u201d mindset in a similar way to Japanese culture: Levy\u2019s research shows the impact could forever change longevity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Much of Levy\u2019s findings come from analyzing longitudinal studies\u2014a gold mine for any researcher studying aging. In one study out of Oxford, Ohio, Levy discovered that the initial survey asked participants about their age beliefs, including questions like \u201cDo you agree or disagree that as you get older you are less useful?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/senior-tourists.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"People with a positive take on aging live an average of 7.5 years longer than people who view aging negatively. One of the many benefits of aging? Finally having time to travel. \" class=\"wp-image-21973893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/senior-tourists.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/senior-tourists.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/senior-tourists.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>People with a positive take on aging live an average of 7.5 years longer than people who view aging negatively. One of the many benefits of aging? Finally having time to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Shutterstock\/Ljupco Smokovski<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The study spanned over 20 years, and Levy found that participants with the most positive age beliefs were living on average 7.5 years longer than participants with the most negative age beliefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Age beliefs determined the participant\u2019s life spans even more than gender, race, socioeconomic status, age, and health \u2014 and they added an even greater survival advantage than some of our most-touted longevity hacks, like lowering cholesterol (which adds an extra four years of life) or avoiding smoking (an extra three years of life).<\/p>\n<p>In her findings, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/12150226\/\">published<\/a> in 2002, Levy penned a call to action, writing that ageism deserved to be treated as if it were an \u201cunidentified virus\u201d that was found to shorten our lives by seven years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She even testified at a hearing on ageism on Capitol Hill after the study was published, alongside the late actress Doris Roberts, who played Raymond\u2019s mom on \u201cEverybody Loves Raymond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen my grandchildren say that I rock, they are not talking about a chair,\u201d Roberts, then 76, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/celebrity\/raymonds-mom-gives-senators-a-mouthful\/\">told the senators<\/a>. \u201cMy peers and I are portrayed as dependent, helpless, unproductive, and demanding rather than deserving\u2026The later years can be some of life\u2019s most productive and creative.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/john-basinger.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"John Basinger began memorizing \u201cParadise Lost\u201d in his 60s, a type of positive-thinking task that can improve memory performance.\" class=\"wp-image-21971033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/john-basinger.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/john-basinger.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/john-basinger.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>John Basinger began memorizing \u201cParadise Lost\u201d in his 60s, a type of positive-thinking task that can improve memory performance.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Heart Connecticut Media<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Flex Your Memory<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When John Basinger was on the verge of turning 60, he set a goal to put any \u201cSenior Moment\u201d birthday card to shame: He planned to memorize and perform all of John Milton\u2019s epic poem \u201cParadise Lost,\u201d totaling more than 60,000 words.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The retired actor from Middletown, Conn., started the challenge in 1992, learning seven lines at a time while walking on the treadmill at the gym. Eight years later, he had all 12 books committed to memory and performed it <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.courant.com\/news\/connecticut\/hc-xpm-2001-12-07-0112070074-story.html\">for the public<\/a> over a three-day marathon recital.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Today, at the age of 84, Basinger told Levy he still remembers all of \u201cParadise Lost\u201d \u2014 and he\u2019s memorized other pieces, too, including portions of \u201cKing Lear\u201d for his performance as the titular character in a 2014 production in Middletown.<\/p>\n<p>Basinger told Levy he draws inspiration from the late Spanish cellist Pablo Casals, who practiced and performed into his 90s.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJohn is living proof that a completely average memory is a remarkable thing when joined with the willingness to work it like a muscle and the right set of age beliefs,\u201d Levy writes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ray-parks-jr-john-bassinger.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Member's Of National Theatre Of The Deaf; Ray Parks Jr., left, and John Basinger discuss production at Bonfils Theatre.\" class=\"wp-image-21971042\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ray-parks-jr-john-bassinger.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ray-parks-jr-john-bassinger.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ray-parks-jr-john-bassinger.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Ray Parks Jr., left, a member of the National Theater of the Deaf, discusses production with John Basinger.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Denver Post via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In her lab, Levy found that older participants who were primed with positive stereotypes of old age \u2014 including words like \u201cwise\u201d and \u201calert\u201d \u2014 for ten minutes improved their performance on a subsequent memory task. Meanwhile: Participants primed with negative stereotypes, like \u201csenile\u201d and \u201cconfused,\u201d saw a decline in memory performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) also showed that over a period of 38 years, people with positive age beliefs at the start of the study experienced 30% better memory scores in old age than people with negative age beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>The BLSA also helped Levy uncover that participants with negative age beliefs were more likely to develop biomarkers of Alzheimer\u2019s \u2014 and brain dissections showed that \u201ctheir hippocampi, the part of the brain responsible for memory, shrank three times as fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s something Basinger might have been on to \u2014 he joked with the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.courant.com\/news\/connecticut\/hc-xpm-2001-12-07-0112070074-story.html\">Hartford Courant<\/a> before his Milton marathon performance that the memorization process was his \u201c12-step program against Alzheimer\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/sister-madonna-buder.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Sister Madonna \u201cIron Nun\u201d Buder, 91, aren\u2019t letting the myth of inactivity in old age slow them down. \" class=\"wp-image-21971082\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/sister-madonna-buder.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/sister-madonna-buder.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/sister-madonna-buder.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Sister Madonna \u201cIron Nun\u201d Buder, 91, isn\u2019t letting the myth of inactivity in old age slow her down. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Keep Sweating\u2014and Swimming<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At age 48, Sister Madonna Buder laced up a pair of borrowed running shoes and set out on her first run. She told <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.triathlete.com\/culture\/people\/at-91-years-young-the-iron-nun-is-still-running\/\">Triathlete<\/a> a priest encouraged her to give it a try. \u201cHe mentioned that running had many benefits, including a way to \u2018harmonize mind, body and soul,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>That first half-a-mile run turned into a short race, then competing in a marathon, and then, four years later, competing in her first triathlon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/sister-madonna-buder-swimming.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"Madonna Buder stands in the waters of Kailua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii at the start of the 2002 Ironman Triathlon World Championship.\" class=\"wp-image-21971100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/sister-madonna-buder-swimming.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1023 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/sister-madonna-buder-swimming.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/sister-madonna-buder-swimming.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/sister-madonna-buder-swimming.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>Madonna Buder stands in the waters of Kailua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii at the start of the 2002 Ironman Triathlon World Championship.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She\u2019s now known as the \u201cIron Nun,\u201d and has completed more than 350 triathlons since, including one recently at the age of 91. She\u2019s the current world record holder for oldest woman to ever finish an Ironman Triathlon, which she earned at the age of 82.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When Levy interviewed Sister Madonna, the nun shared that her father inspired her to stay active into older age \u2014 he rowed and played handball into his 70s. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make sense to fear aging, since you never know what lies ahead of you,\u201d Sister Madonna told Levy.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a similar perspective shared by Wilhelmina Delco. The now-90-year-old former Texas politician took up swimming for the first time at the age of 80, earning her the title of \u201cthe old lady who swims at the Y.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/wilhelmina-delco.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Wilhelmina Delco, 90, cheers with the crowd as thousands march from the University of Texas to the State Capitol honoring Martin Luther King\u2019s legacy.\" class=\"wp-image-21971112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/wilhelmina-delco.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/wilhelmina-delco.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/wilhelmina-delco.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Wilhelmina Delco, 90, cheers with the crowd as thousands march from the University of Texas to the State Capitol honoring Martin Luther King\u2019s legacy.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Corbis via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>What began as a practice to help soothe her arthritis quickly became a passion, and it\u2019s a new chapter for her after a legacy of civic service. \u201cI am proud of being my age, not some strange exception,\u201d she told Levy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Levy found that people with negative age beliefs exercise less, and a longitudinal study showed that people over the age of 50 with positive age beliefs had better body movement over a period of 18 years than people of the same age with negative age beliefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of her lab experiments even showed that participants primed with positive age beliefs for 10 minutes \u201cimmediately showed faster walking speeds and better balance.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"678\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/breaking-the-age-code.jpg?w=678\" alt=\"Breaking the age code\" class=\"wp-image-21971125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/breaking-the-age-code.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1017 1017w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/breaking-the-age-code.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=678 678w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/breaking-the-age-code.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=339 339w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/breaking-the-age-code.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Levy\u2019s conclusion: The belief that we can\u2019t be active in old age is a myth. \u201cWhether you decide to start going for runs at sixty, hop in the pool for the first time at seventy, or go on walks at any age, it matters less when and what you do than that you build up positive age beliefs and trust that your body will respond in kind,\u201d she writes.<\/p>\n<p>Just take a cue from Sister Madonna and the first words that come to mind when she thinks of aging: \u201cWisdom and grace. There\u2019s running and opportunity. And fine wine.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/04\/23\/your-bad-attitude-about-aging-could-add-7-5-years-to-your-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Your bad attitude about aging could add 7.5 years to your life&#8221; When Yale professor Becca Levy began conducting her decades-long research on the psychology of aging, she would routinely ask people to think of five words to describe an older person. In the US, the most common answer was \u201cmemory loss.\u201d In China, it&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":436291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/senior-woman-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[128380,76715],"class_list":["post-436290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-23-22","tag-aging"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}