href="http://Retirement.org">Retirement.org—is growing rapidly, and there is no shortage of research on it. Literally hundreds of articles and studies have been written on the subject (see Appendix C: Information Sources for Practicing Positive Aging). For a thorough review of the literature on positive aging, including theories of positive aging and the principles and philosophies behind it, see Kori Miller’s article at Positive Psychology.com.6
Information about positive aging can also be found at places such as the Center for Positive Aging, in Atlanta, Georgia: Centerfor-PositiveAging.org. The Center exists to assist elders connect to the resources they need, and to educate consumers about the types of services available to assist in successful, positive aging. The Mather Institute is another organization focused on positive aging, sharing research, trends, and best practices (visit www.matherinstitute.com).
Another important goal of the positive aging movement is to counter and oppose the age-biased beliefs of ageism. One example is the article “Old Age Appreciated: The Positive Aging Movement,” by Ruth Mutzner, PhD (PioneerNetwork.net, September 19, 2017). Of course, there are numerous organizations speaking out against ageism, including the Administration of Aging, AARP, American Society on Aging, Gerontology Society of America, and the National Institute on Aging.
The Benefits of Positive Aging
There are obviously a number of major benefits of practicing positive aging, notably enhanced physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. More specifically, individuals practicing positive aging will also likely become:
➢ More proactive about health
➢ More resilient to illness, enjoying improved immunity
➢ Less stressed-out, reducing their likelihood of developing chronic diseases or disorders
➢ More in touch with their spirit
➢ Practitioners of a healthier lifestyle
➢ More energetic
And perhaps most important of all, they will experience greater happiness and joy.
All these benefits clearly suggest that the greatest gain of practicing positive aging is to improve your overall quality of life as you age. A positive aging mindset will help you better cope with the onslaught of the marks of aging that you will confront throughout your senior years. A positive aging journey will contribute enormously to your happiness, so you can enjoy a richer, more satisfying life in your senior years.
The Science of Positive Aging
Positive aging is strongly supported by the science of aging. Not only will positive aging help you better cope with the marks of aging and the transition to getting older, but from a biological perspective, positive aging may indeed enhance life expectancy and lessen the likelihood of disease and other ailments. Positive aging means that not only will you cope better with the marks of aging and improve the quality of your life, but you will likely live a longer, healthier life.
A 2019 study asserts that positive thinking (a key element of positive aging) can result in an 11 to 15 percent longer life span and a stronger likelihood of living to age 85 or older. This effect remained after other factors such as age, gender, income, depression, and health status were controlled.7
The study indicates that optimistic individuals tend to have a reduced risk of depression, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. But optimism also might be linked to exceptional longevity. Optimistic people might be more motivated to try to maintain good health habits and practices, such as maintaining a decent diet, engaging in regular exercise, and not smoking. And they are better at regulating stress. All these factors are positively correlated with longevity.
This revelation claims that stress-free positive aging attitudes will lengthen life and make it more joyful in your senior years. But there’s something biological behind the stress-free longevity claims, and it has to do with the telomeres and chromosomes in our DNA.
The 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine was awarded jointly to Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.8
Essentially, they were recognized for discovering the molecular nature of telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that serve as protective caps essential for preserving genetic information, and for co-discovering telomerase, an enzyme that maintains telomere ends. Their work allowed us to understand the critical role telomeres and telomerase play in how we age.
DNA is the genetic material that provides the blueprint for who we are. Telomeres are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect our chromosomes, like the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces. Without those tips, shoelaces become frayed until they can no longer do their job—just as, without telomeres, DNA strands become damaged to such an extent that our cells can’t do their job. Telomeres get shorter each time a cell copies itself, but the important DNA stays intact. Eventually, telomeres get too short to do their job, causing our cells to age and stop functioning properly. Therefore, telomeres act as the aging clock in every cell.9
According to Blackburn, the enzyme telomerase adds bases to the ends of telomeres. In young cells, telomerase keeps telomeres from wearing down too much. But cells divide repeatedly during the course of our lives, and there is not enough telomerase to last forever, so the telomeres grow shorter and the cells age. Geneticist Richard Cawthon at the University of Utah found shorter telomeres are associated with shorter lives. Among people older than 60, those with shorter telomeres were three times more likely to die from heart disease and eight times more likely to die from infectious disease.10
Telomere length represents our biological age as opposed to our chronological age, and many of the behaviors associated with positive aging have the unintended effect of protecting and lengthening your telomeres. According to studies conducted by Blackburn and Epel, and Epel and Prather, there are a number of ways you can protect and lengthen your telomeres that are consistent with positive aging behavior.11 These include: eating healthy foods, reducing stress, meditation, attitude, social interaction, and exercise. While it is clear that telomeres alone do not dictate life span, more interesting developments are sure to emerge on this fascinating front as an ever-increasing number of scientists continue to study telomeres and the benefits of stopping or possibly reversing the telomere shortening that happens as we age.
Final Thoughts
Why positive aging? The science supporting positive aging is tantalizing. The practice of positive aging is correlated to the length and health of our telomeres, which are directly related to aging. Positive aging likely lengthens life expectancy. Given the numerous benefits and life-changing effects of positive aging—which include enhanced physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, and an improved quality of life as you age—perhaps the more interesting question is, Why would anyone not practice positive aging?
So, now that the “Why” for practicing positive aging has been addressed, let’s turn to the “How.” What are the steps for practicing positive aging? My journey in battling cancer helped me stumble upon what I believe are the building blocks for practicing positive aging, which I will share with you throughout the rest of the book. Let’s begin!
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