Most research on aging — and the steps we can take to slow or reverse its effects — has focused on physical, tangible measures like genetic differences between healthy and unhealthy populations, and the ways in which living healthfully through regular physical activity can actually alter our genetic expression. There’s great appeal to focusing consumers’ attention on things that can be purchased and physically experienced — buy this, eat that, do three set of these — since it provides the sense that health is one item, or one plank, away.
[See: In Pictures: 11 Health Habits That Will Help You Live to 100.]
But while healthy people share many of the same physical characteristics — healthy diet, frequent exercise, sufficient sleep — there’s more to living a long, healthy life that’s often overlooked. Healthy folks also share many of the same mental and emotional characteristics. A recent study, for example, examined the personality traits of several hundred Italians over the age of 90 and found that they have lots in common, personality-wise. Here’s what the rest of us can learn from them — no matter our age or where we live:
1. Positivity breeds longevity.
Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. When that’s not possible, they can bring themselves back to positivity quickly. They focus more of their attention on how their past successes can guide them, rather than how their past failures can derail them. They focus on the actionable steps they must take to get them closer to accomplishing goals, rather than on all the distractions and obstacles that get in their way. While some people are simply predisposed to greater levels of optimism than others, rest assured that optimistic people don’t necessarily experience greater amounts of positive life events — they just do a better job of interpreting the events in their lives in more optimistic ways.
[See: 7 Surprising Things That Age You.]
To become a glass-half-full person, try flipping your “positive switch” in any given moment and see if you can spot the positives: A freezing morning allows you to appreciate the picturesque snow-covered trees on your morning drive to work, a tough jog wins you a warm smile by a fellow jogger, a hectic morning is lightened by a loving interaction between your children, a day at the office comes with a sense of accomplishment and muscle soreness leads to gains in strength. These positive moments exist; it’s just a matter of lifting our heads and opening our attention to them.
2. A strong work ethic promotes health.
Positive psychology pioneer Martin Seligman’s conclusion is that happiness has several dimensions that can be cultivated. In the final stage, “the meaningful life,” he says we find fulfillment by using our strengths for a greater purpose. While busyness is often synonymous with heavy work hours, crippling anxiety and a slew of mental health problems, being busy with meaningful tasks — think both personal and professional projects that are engaging and exciting — has wonderful psychological and physiologic benefits. Our work ethic is naturally strong when we’re doing something that’s appealing and challenging — that is, something that requires full concentration and high effort to accomplish. Consider how satisfied — albeit tired — you feel after a long but productive day at the office, or how much you look forward to particular exercises at the gym even though they’re immensely difficult. Seek more of those opportunities.
3. Stubbornness can be a good thing.
We often associate stubbornness with the aging grandma who refuses to give up driving, despite her oblivious recklessness behind the wheel, or the spouse who constantly locks himself out of the house yet still chooses not to put a spare key underneath the mat in the garage. But a determination to stay the course and a refusal to change an attitude about something despite what others might say isn’t always a bad thing. The athlete who got cut from the varsity team for two years and then finally made it because he refused to give up is remarkably stubborn. So is the runner who insists on the same trail run each morning in snow and rain and heat and the gloom of night. In these cases, stubbornness is inspiring.
4. Your life may depend on your relationships.
As a species wired for social connectedness, we inherently know how important it is to live a life with sustained intimate relationships. Harvard psychiatrist Robert Waldinger is the director of the Laboratory of Adult Development at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he’s spearheading a study on adult happiness that has tracked hundreds of American men for over 75 years. In his TED talk outlining the findings, his main conclusion, beautiful in its simplicity, demonstrated just that: Form good relationships and you’ll be all right.
[See: How 5 Longevity Researchers Stave Off Aging.]
5. Having great decision–making skills — without caring what others think — pays dividends.
As a social species, we’re also powerfully invested in others’ perceptions and judgments of us and the decisions we make. Many of us are hampered to make even the most trivial decisions — say, choosing a restaurant for a social gathering or buying a new shirt — because of a fear of what others might think. But that type of worry isn’t helping you.
Instead, try being more committed to the decisions that make you happy than the ones that are “right.” Imagine the freedom you’d feel if you unapologetically decide to wear the outfit to the gym that makes you feel most comfortable, regardless of its fashion rating, or to spend time with the people that make you feel most comfortable, regardless of their popularity. The words showered upon preschoolers are just as true, and certainly more difficult, for mature folks to follow: Be true to yourself. As our Italian friends show us, your life won’t only be happier, but also healthier and longer, for it.
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5 Anti-Aging Secrets That Don’t Involve Diet or Exercise originally appeared on usnews.com
