There are a lot of things you can do to extend your lifespan—such as getting some regular exercise and maintaining a healthy blood pressure.
And now—according to some fascinating research, there’s one surprising factor that TRUMPS all the typical recommendations when it comes to living a long, healthy life!
It has to do with how you THINK ABOUT the aging process itself…
In fact, simply changing your mindset might just add nearly EIGHT YEARS to your life.
Let me explain…
How do you feel about getting older?
For this study, researchers followed 660 middle-aged men and women from a small town in Ohio. They looked specifically at how the men and women answered questions, more than two decades earlier, about the aging process.
The responses included agreeing or disagreeing with statements such as, “As you get older, you are less useful.”
Then, the researchers collated all that earlier data and matched it against death rates.
It turns out, participants with more positive attitudes about aging when they were younger lived longer…A LOT longer.
In fact, they lived 7.5 years longer, on average, compared to those in the more negative group!
Plus, their attitudes had an even greater impact on longevity than all the typical risk factors, including:
- Maintaining a lower body mass index (BMI)
- Getting regular exercise
- Never smoking
- Keeping a healthy systolic (top number) blood pressure readings
In fact, keeping a lower BMI, getting regular exercise, and never smoking each added between one and three years to the participants’ lifespans. And keeping a healthy systolic blood pressure reading only added up to four years.
So, clearly, HOW YOU THINK ABOUT growing older has a TREMENDOUS impact on how well you age compared to your peers!
Of course, there are lots of simple, natural, healthy aging strategies to stay vibrant, youthful, and healthy well into your 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond as I outline in my protocol, The Insider’s Ultimate Guide to Outsmarting “Old Age.” If you’d like to learn more about this online learning tool or enroll today, simply click here.
Source:
“Negative Stereotypes About Aging May Shorten Your Life by Affecting Your Will to Live.” American Psychological Association, 2002. (apa.org/news/press/releases/2002/07/longevity)