In pursuit of happiness, multiple studies and polls reveal older adults make up the happiest age groups. Incredulous to some young people, satisfaction with life generally grows appreciably with each passing decade.
AARP recently partnered with National Geographic to complete the “Second Half of Life Survey” which posed the same questions on a wide range of life issues with adults from 18 years old into their 90s. Results disavowed common negative stereotypes of aging and documented refreshing resilience as the decades passed.
Susan Friedman, M.D./MPH, a University of Rochester Professor of Medicine and Highland Hospital geriatrician and internist, was one of the first group of physicians in the U.S. to be board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine.
Lifestyle Medicine focuses on six pillars considered foundational to long-term health and wellness. The pillars include healthful eating, physical activity, stress management, relationships, sleep, and tobacco cessation.
She comments that our 60s is a watershed decade when it comes to shifts in personal attitudes towards aging. She points out that many persons aged 50-70 step back and say, “Oh, my health is not a given. I actually need to do things to at least make it stable and make it…better”.
In the Second Half of Life survey, when questions queried whether or not persons were taking active steps to achieve things like restful sleep, a healthy weight, a healthy heart and maintenance of physical stamina, each decade revealed progressively higher efforts towards these goals.
Knowing prevalence of serious health conditions rises with age, the study showed persistent resilience in persons working to manage symptoms and maintain lifestyle. For example, results showed an impressive 44 percent of older respondents doing strength training, “…making them as serious about muscles as the youngest in the study”.
Maintenance of lifestyle is a serious motivator. Lifestyle medicine challenges the idea of treatment “at all costs”. Treatment consideration is weighed against lifestyle impact for sound decisions. Implications for lifestyle and personal independence are critical factors in decision making.
And apparently most older adults are making good decisions as shown with the survey question “How would you rate the overall quality of your life on a scale of 1 to 10? Sixty-six percent of adults aged 80 and over said they’re living “their best possible life” or close to it, compared to just twenty percent of younger adults.
Louise Aronson, M.D. and Professor of Geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco noted , “Psychologically, people notice and prioritize the positive and let the negative go as they age”. They tend to focus on what really matters, often citing relationships at the top of the list.
Family and friends rated high in the survey with every age group citing them important for finding a sense of joy and purpose. Close friends often become chosen family. Blessed with a large family, my husband often used a prayer of gratitude at gatherings, giving thanks for family who are friends and friends who are family.
Meanwhile, nurturing one’s own acceptance of age and recognition of its positive attributes is a force in itself to achieving quality of life. Becca Levy, professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health cites, “My research shows that positive beliefs about aging can act as a buffer against stress, bolster your sense of control over your life and even your will to live, and motivate good habits.”
Something to strive for.