These experts study aging for a living. Here are 6 things they learned about aging well.

Aging: we all do it. In fact, you are doing it now. It’s a lifelong process, but when a certain number of candles appear on the cake – for some, perhaps 60, while for others, 70 – a feeling of dread can begin to emerge. a recent Forbes survey. But there is some comforting news: research and surveys show that the older we get, the less we fear getting older. And increasingly, experts are focusing on extending people’s “span of health” – the years of a healthy, high-quality life – rather than just their longevity.

The secrets to aging well, experts tell Yahoo Life, don’t necessarily require a strict diet, an intense exercise program or expensive medical care. It’s actually easier than you might think. See how aging experts learned to age well.

1. Don’t expect the worst

Most diseases, including cancers and heart disease, become more common and more serious with age. But it’s easy to mistake this to mean that most older people are unwell. In fact, statistically, this is not the case. More than three-quarters of Americans ages 65 and older reported being in excellent, very good or good health in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention latest data.

“People confuse aging with illness and pain, and these are different things”, Ellen Langer, a psychology professor at Harvard University, where she is called “the mother of mindfulness,” told Yahoo Life. And this merger, she says, could impact her mentality. “If you think you’re going to die soon, all the pain is attributed to that,” says Langer. “But if you think you will live much longer, you find other reasons to attribute” these pains.

Instead, Langer advises taking a mindful approach, meaning “you make a plan and just live, and if something happens, you’ll be better able to deal with it.”

2. Stay active – but do it the way you like

“I do things that I really enjoy because I think life is too short to spend doing things we don’t enjoy” Katharine Esty, social psychologist, told Yahoo Life. Esty, who is approaching her 90th birthday, attends three classes a week: a Zumba class – set to “really fun, upbeat Latin music,” she says – another dance class and a “movement and stretching” class. corporal”. Esty also periodically attends strength training classes. She knows that staying active is good for her body and mind, but it’s equally important to her that “all of my classes are integrated into a fun and enjoyable atmosphere,” says Esty.

3. Find your purpose

If you’re still stuck in the daily grind of work, you may be looking forward to the ample free time of retirement, but, experts say, aging well doesn’t mean doing nothing. “The key to aging well is to always have a challenge ahead; There’s a lot of data to support that,” Kate de Medeirosprofessor of gerontology at Concordia University in Montreal, told Yahoo Life. To look for suggests that those who have a purpose are also more motivated to develop or maintain healthy habits that help extend life and health. “People think about retiring and relaxing, but it’s probably not a good thing to do,” says de Medeiros. “Without these meaningful anchors in time, time becomes a kind of void, but it’s not just about being busy; it’s about having things that matter and people being able to invest in themselves, which is really key.”

She is not alone in this thought. Esty wrote her book “Eighty-something years old”Partly to deal with his anxiety about his upcoming 80th birthday. “The people were very inspiring and having the project inspired me,” she says. “I think that to age well you need to have a purpose, some way of contributing to the world.”

4. Don’t be afraid of change

“Aging well never means avoiding setbacks, disappointments or losses,” says Esty. “This is aging, so it’s all about keeping a positive attitude.” This positive attitude is the difference between fearing aging and aging well, and, says Esty, it improves your ability to deal with the losses and changes that are inevitable. “You have to acknowledge what you’re feeling, which is something we’re not so good at as a society,” she says. “Aging brings, realistically, many losses – of people we love, of abilities – but learning how to manage these losses and how to grieve effectively… can allow you to move on and have a good life.”

Take change, for example. “People want to grow old in their homes, but people [often downsize] and go to smaller communities,” notes Esty. Although this change can be difficult, she sees it this way: “I think it’s good because you can meet new people and make new friends.”

5. Stay sociable and curious

Keeping your mind engaged and your social life active is essential, experts say. “I think it’s really important to keep learning things,” says Esty. “I do this mainly through books and conversations with people; I have dinner groups and we discuss things.” She also lives in a community with classes, lectures and group activities like bird watching. She acknowledges that it’s harder for people who live alone, but suggests finding classes at local community or senior centers or looking for free courses offered by colleges. De Medeiros, for example, recently started taking French classes to continue his learning.

Contributing to your community also provides a sense of purpose and connection, says Esty. “People can volunteer at any age,” she says. But, as she points out, it’s not just about doing the activities, but also about having a curious mindset. Esty says she maintains “an attitude of openness to new information.”

6. Don’t believe negative stereotypes about age

Whether they come from advertising campaigns or her own internal monologue, de Medeiros makes a point of avoiding and countering negative stereotypes about age. “It is important to be aware and try to stay away from media campaigns that try to convince you that getting older is bad… [because] It’s hard when you’re constantly told you’re undervalued and not what you were,” she says. “Do not practice self-aging; It drives me crazy when someone says they’re having a ‘senior moment’.

Langer agrees and suggests not focusing on your age. “I don’t try to age well – I just live,” she says. “Age is not a relevant dimension until I am with friends who start to complain about old age… I have no idea how old I am; If there’s something I can’t do, I try to do it differently or I find a way.”

She’s not alone in not feeling her age. A study found that, on average, adults over 40 feel about 20% younger than they are. And our notion of when “old age” begins is getting later and later as the population ages and people live longer. But extending life expectancy is not the goal when it comes to aging well, says Langer. “Instead of spending time trying to add more years to your life, we should be spending more time trying to add life to your years,” she says, noting that research on mindfulness suggests that doing so could end up adding years to your life.