Successful Aging summary

In the previous blink, we began to explore how the aging brain doesn’t simply decline, but actually enjoys some neurochemical benefits. Now we’ll look at two other myths about aging that need to be debunked. 

The first myth is about memory loss. How often do you hear old age characterized as a time of forgetfulness? In reality, memory function is way more complex than people tend to think. For one thing, research shows that people of all ages experience short-term memory lapses. It’s just that when we’re young, we tend to shrug it off, saying that we’re tired or overworked, or maybe even that we’re just having an off day. Conversely, when older people experience short-term memory loss, they have been primed to believe it’s the result of cognitive decline.

Everyone ages differently. How we age is impacted by our genetics, our opportunities, and our environment. However, one of the biggest factors that impacts how we experience our later years is our childhood. 

This brings us to our next question: What do cuddles have to do with life span?

In the early twentieth century, thinkers like Sigmund Freud and William James argued that our personality was set in stone at a young age. Whether that’s true or not is crucial, as research shows that the single most important determinant of lifetime happiness is your personality. So, on a neurochemical level, are we stuck with who we are, or is change possible?

First off, it’s important to note that our personality isn’t just constructed out of our neurochemistry, but also by our environment and our opportunities. Nevertheless, the way our brains operate on a chemical level does have a huge impact on how we interpret, react, and engage with the world around us, all of which plays a big role in determining our personalities.

Calm and quiet Sarah will likely live longer than risk-loving Derrick because she is conscientious. But this is just one of what the author has coined as the five crucial aspects to healthy aging. These five aspects form the COACH principle: curiosity, openness, associations, conscientiousness, and healthy practices. Let’s dive into three more of them.

Imagine two people get admitted to a nursing home on the same day. Luca recently fell and now has to walk with a cane, which he hates. After a lifetime of achievements in the business world and prowess on the tennis court, Luca is ashamed of his diminished abilities. As a result, he spends most of his time alone, and doesn’t take the risk of trying anything new.

Now we come to the last of the five COACH aspects: healthy practices. And healthy practices start with healthy eating.

Depending on when and where you grew up, you have probably been exposed to a number of different diets that celebrities, friends, or coworkers take on and swear by. The problem, as Stanford nutrition scientist Christopher Gardner puts it, is that no matter how crazy or unfounded a diet is, if you get enough people to try it, it will work for someone. Diets that have absolutely no scientific backing, from a tapeworm diet to a placenta diet, get promoted by a small number of influential voices who experienced success.

Imagine you’re walking on an unfamiliar dirt path in nature. There are branches and rocks, and diverse scenery all around you. Every step you take, your brain and body need to work together to make hundreds of micro adjustments for foot pressure, angle, and pace. To do this, your hippocampus is activated, and your brain starts firing in the exact way it has developed to be used. By taking a walk, you’re actually doing the single best thing for your mental and bodily health!

As we age, it’s common to let go of physical exercise. We’re no longer able to run that 10K charity race or play pick-up soccer. As our dexterity declines, so too does our motivation. After all, there’s nothing glamorous about taking a walk around the block or spending ten minutes on a stationary bike. Why bother?

In a time when productivity is valued aboveover all else, it’s common for people to brag about how little sleep they’re getting. But the reality is that sleep is one of the most important factors in maintaining a long health span. You may feel like you’re less productive when you need to give up that event or that extra hour at work. But, in the long term, you’re adding time onto your life!

Unfortunately, there’s a myth that as we age, we need less sleep. In reality, it isn’t that older people need less sleep, but that they have a harder time getting it. That’s because as we age, the signaling from a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus – or “SCN” – degrades. Think of the SCN as your master clock. It regulates your circadian rhythm, which is essentially how your brain operates in a twenty-four-hour cycle, signaling things like when to get sleepy or when to wake up.