{"id":81895,"date":"2026-03-27T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/?p=81895"},"modified":"2026-03-26T21:11:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T03:11:19","slug":"how-a-healthy-mind-set-influences-longevity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/how-a-healthy-mind-set-influences-longevity\/","title":{"rendered":"How a healthy mind-set influences longevity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nan Niland, 72, worked as a dentist for 40 years. \u201cIt really was my self-definition,\u201d she said. \u201cProbably too much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she retired in 2020, she settled into a routine of exercising, reading, sewing and spending time in nature. But after awhile, she began to crave a little more structure and purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she read about the Newton, Mass., charity Welcome Home in a local newsletter. The organization serves as a home goods pantry, collecting and redistributing household items to families in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Ms. Niland volunteers there about 15 hours a week. \u201cI needed to feel like I was doing something other than pleasing myself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much has been written about how physical behaviors, like exercise, diet and sleep, contribute to a long and healthy life. But research suggests that, as you age, a positive mind-set \u2014 including optimism and a sense of purpose \u2014 can benefit your health and longevity, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattering matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling that you are valued and have something to contribute to others, often called mattering, can help drive you toward positive health behaviors that influence longevity. \u201cIf you feel like you matter, you\u2019re more likely to stay socially connected, to take care of yourself, to show up for others, to keep investing in life,\u201d said Jennifer B. Wallace, the author of a new book, \u201cMattering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Dr. Linda Fried worked as a geriatrician at Johns Hopkins Medicine early in her career, she realized that many of her patients were \u201clegitimately feeling sick,\u201d but the cause of their sickness stemmed from \u201cnot having a reason to get up in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Fried, now a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University, started recommending that her patients volunteer at an organization that they care about. Not long after, she started her own volunteer program to study the potential benefits on older adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Fried found that people who volunteered increased their activity levels and felt physically stronger after several months of service. They also modestly improved their scores on tests of cognition and scored higher on a questionnaire assessing their feelings on legacy and making a difference in their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteering isn\u2019t the only path to mattering. Becoming a regular at a coffee shop, dog park or other third place can also help you feel more connected. \u201cFinding environments where you feel like you matter, it\u2019s protective against the loneliness and the lack of mattering that can creep in in retirement,\u201d Ms. Wallace said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optimism is powerful, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintaining a positive outlook on life, and about aging in particular, also appears to benefit people in their later years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2022 study found that women over 50 who scored highest on a measure of optimism lived, on average, 5 percent longer and had a greater chance of making it to age 90 than those who scored lowest. And a study published this month reported that adults 50 and up who had a positive attitude about getting older \u2014 saying they felt as useful or as happy as they did when they were younger \u2014 were more likely to maintain, or even slightly improve, on tests of physical and cognitive ability when tracked over 12 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like with mattering, feeling positive about one\u2019s future seems to affect a person\u2019s health by influencing their behaviors, said Becca Levy, a professor of public health and psychology at Yale University who led the recent study. When someone feels they have something to look forward to, they\u2019re more likely to follow medical advice, get more physical activity and maintain social connections. Dr. Levy\u2019s research has shown that having a positive outlook on aging can even protect against stress, resulting in lower levels of cortisol and markers of inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, getting older isn\u2019t easy. Losing a loved one, having to navigate an illness or becoming a caretaker can all affect one\u2019s sense of identity and perspective. Remaining optimistic in these types of situations isn\u2019t about being in denial about the hard parts of life, said Deepika Chopra, a health psychologist and author of \u201cThe Power of Real Optimism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s much more related, I think, to resiliency than it is to positivity,\u201d Dr. Chopra said. People who are optimistic \u201csee these setbacks as something that are temporary and that they have the ability to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help engender a sense of optimism, Dr. Chopra recommends being intentional about looking forward to something every day. That could be a walk outside, a conversation with a friend, even what you\u2019re going to have for dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen people repeatedly imagine the future as limited or declining, which a lot of people aging do, the brain begins to kind of reinforce those expectations,\u201d Dr. Chopra said. \u201cBut if we can consciously direct attention toward even something small, a small positive future moment every day,\u201d she said, it trains the brain to anticipate that good things are still on the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Chopra\u2019s grandfather, Madan Syal, embodies this attitude. He said he feels positive about getting older and enjoys playing cards with his wife every day. But what he\u2019s really looking forward to is turning 100 this July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n