There are manyย benefits of positive thinking, includingย stress reduction, improved immunity, and a lower risk for heart disease. But did you know that keeping a positive outlook can help you live longer, too? Hereโs what research says about positive thinking and aging, and what you can do to reap the rewards.
Add Years to Your Life
Studies show that how you perceive aging and your life as a whole affects longevity. Aย 2019 studyย found that positive thinking can result in an 11โ15% longer lifespan 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.
Look Forward to Aging
Research on the topicย has found that people who have a positive outlook on aging while they are young, rather than dreading growing old, have a greater chance of living longer.ย Thatโs because adjusting your opinion on aging while youโre still young can build a positive perspective that can have a tremendous effect on your life expectancy.
Improve Resiliency
Findings suggestย that positive thinking about aging can increase a personโs will to live, making them moreย resilientย to illness and more proactive about health. Those with a positive outlook are also likely toย experience less stress, reducing their likelihood of developing chronic diseases or disorders.
Related: 8 Ways To Cultivate Resilience In Yourself During Tough Times
Find Insight as You Age
Our society tends to prize youth and beauty, while messages about aging tend to emphasize the negative aspects. But, like fine wine, people should get better as they age. Experience, combined with maturity, gives older people great insight. Theyโre often more in touch spiritually and they prioritize depth in their life. By following a simple, healthy lifestyle you can preserve your health and energy through life.
Other Markers of Healthy Aging
In addition to positive thinking, there are lifestyle factors that can add years to your life, including exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a nutrient-dense diet, consuming only moderate amounts of alcohol (if any), and not smoking, all of which can help extend lifespan by 12โ14 years.
While studies point to living longer, they donโt often discuss the improved quality of life that comes with it. But as the field ofย positive psychologyย is exploring, beyond increased lifespan, positive thoughts and emotions can contribute tremendously to happiness so you can enjoy a richer, more satisfying life.
Related; 30 Things to Start Doing for Yourself To Become Happier
How to Embrace Positive Thinking
Like meditation, yoga, or any self-care ritual, staying positive is a practice. Fortunately, the tools required are free and can be done on your own at your pace. Here are a few ways to consciously cultivate positive thinking in your daily life:
1. Keep a gratitude journal:ย
No matter the format you chooseโbrief lists in your phone or longer entries written in a notebookโaย gratitude journalย can be a powerful way to connect to your emotions and relieve stress. The subject matter can vary, but the key is consistency. Maintaining a regular practice will help develop a new way of thinking so you can easily identify and stop negative thoughts when they arise.
Related: Attitude Of Gratitude: How The Universal Law of Gratitude Can Help You
2. Repeat positive affirmations:ย
If you say something enough times, youโre more likely to believe it. Thatโs the idea behindย positive affirmations, statements with intention repeated numerous times to make them a part of your thinking, such as โI am feeling more peaceful each dayโ or โI can handle whatever comes my way.โ Itโs important to keep these affirmations rooted in reality. Your subconscious may flag far-fetched statements, putting you back in a negative state of mind.
3. Practice loving-kindness meditation:ย
Studies have shownย thatย loving-kindness meditationย can significantly increase a positive attitude. While there are variations to the practice, the common theme is focusing on positive phrases that evoke self-compassion as well as empathy for others, using statements like, โMay I be happyโ and โMay you be safe.โ
4. Spend time with other positive thinkers:ย
The saying goes, โYou are the company you keep.โ So it makes sense that when you associate with other optimists, you tend to feel uplifted, happy, and supported. Take note of your emotions when youโre around friends and family. You may need to establish boundaries with those who bring your positive energy down.
Related: 12 Tips To Self-Love And Compassion
Keep in mind that positivity is a choiceโand not always an easy one.
Lifeโs obstacles can sometimes make it difficult to maintain a sunny perspective, and you may have days when you donโt have any positivity in you. But with practice, you can build a foundation that helps you shift negative thoughts and start noticing the benefits to your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Article sources
Li Y, Pan A, Wang D et al.ย Impact of healthy lifestyle factors on life expectancies in the US population.ย Circulation. 2018;138(4):345-355. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.117.032047
Belenguer-Varea ร, Tarazona-Santabalbina F, Avellana-Zaragoza J, Inglรฉs M, Mas-Bargues C, Martรญnez-Reig M.ย Oxidative stress and exceptional human longevity: systematic review.ย Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 2019. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.09.019.
Chopik W, Bremner R, Johnson D, Giasson H.ย Age differences in age perceptions and developmental transitions.ย Front Psychol. 2018;9. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00067.
Hofmann SG, Grossman P, Hinton DE.ย Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions.ย Clin Psychol Rev.ย 2011;31(7):1126-32. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.07.003.
Ingrand I, Paccalin M, Liuu E, Gil R, Ingrand P.ย Positive perception of aging is a key predictor of quality-of-life in aging people.ย PLoS ONE. 2018;13(10):e0204044. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0204044.
Lee L, James P, Zevon E et al.ย Optimism is associated with exceptional longevity in 2 epidemiologic cohorts of men and women.ย Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2019;116(37):18357-18362. doi:10.1073/pnas.1900712116.
Zeng Y, Shen K.ย Resilience significantly contributes to exceptional longevity.ย Curr Gerontol Geriatr Res. 2010;2010:1-9. doi:10.1155/2010/525693.
Written by: Mark Stibich, PhD
Originally appeared on verywellmind.com and is republished here with a Creative Commons license.
Leave a Reply