In 1979, Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer conducted an experiment with a group of men 75 and older. For one week they were housed in a resort with the proviso that they had to believe, think and act as if it was 1959.
The resort was set up to recreate 1959 - cars, magazines, food etc; they had to speak as if they were the age they were in 1959, and couldn't talk about anything that happened after 1959.
At the end of the experiment, when compared with the control group who were housed in a similar resort but 'lived' in the present time the differences were astounding.
The men who thought '1959' emerged looking on average three years younger; they were more active; had better manual dexterity and their memories had improved. What's more, their fingers which tend to shrink with age, had elongated; their postures were straighter; they showed significant improvement in their muscle strength, vision, and hearing.
And all from believing and acting as if they were 20 years younger! Think about the ramifications of this research for us. We know how important it is to keep our levels of physical activity high as we grow older - physical strength keeps us alive, prevents osteoporosis and stops us falling over! Another research project that involved elderly nursing home residents (72-98 years) found that after only 30 exercise sessions, their muscle strength increased 113%; they increased the speed at which they walked 11% and boosted their stair climbing power by 28%.
We know that mental activity keeps our minds young - so learn cryptic crosswords, read books on a wide range of topics, attend university courses - just keep learning, anything! This prevents our neural circuits from seizing up.
And now we know we need to believe and think young! It doesn't matter what age we are. How many people think they are old at 40? Or - gasp - even thirty! What age do you feel? I chronological thinking clock stopped at 23! I look at people my age (43) and find it hard to believe we are the same age! They have children in their teens - I couldn't possibly have children that old! I never think I look as old as other people my age! OK, so I don't look in the mirror too much! What age did you freeze your physical clock?
Now we can have the advantage of the wisdom that comes with age and at the same time, think our bodies young!
The words we use are also critical- do you lace your sentences with 'at my age......and then feed in some line about what you can't do? Do you accept slowing down as a natural part of life? You expect to have weaker muscles; be less flexible; have more aches and pains? To say "I'm too old to ......" is a death knoll! If you say so, you will be. Or perhaps you say "I can't ......anymore'? Same impact! Or perhaps you age other people by saying similar phrases to them - people like your parents. Do you want to program those ideas into them as well?
It's not just what we do with our bodies and minds that determines what happens to us as we age. It's also what we program in with our words.
In fact , most of the 'biomarkers' of aging - things like decreases in muscle mass , strength , metabolic rate, aerobic capacity, bone density or increases in percentage of body fat, levels of 'bad' cholesterol and blood pressure are not necessarily a direct result of aging. They are a result of lack of exercise, poor nutrition, lack of mental stimulation, a tired heart , overstressed minds and hearts, poor self programming (with our words and self talk) and an 'old' attitude - or believing you are old, decrepit, and that you have passed your use by date!
I suggest we stop growing up and start 'growing down'! Revert to selected aspects of toddlerdom! Our toddlers have a lot to teach us - be active; laugh lots; eat when you are hungry; give love easily; accept love and nurturing; know you can do anything and give it a go; only give up after you have had a hundred attempts; do things that give you pleasure; daydream (meditate) frequently ; feel your feelings and move on to the next one; forgive and forget ; harbour no expectations; and do not let fear rule your life ! They rarely think themselves out of a situation - or into one!
So it's up to you - will you think yourself young and create a younger physiology or will you shrivel up and become a frail, feeble oldie? Hopefully , this decision won't take too long! And it's never too late to start growing young.
PS if you have a Gen X’er near you, be strong!! My fabulous VP of everything who runs my office, and me - in an awesome way, is 25. I am older than her mother and love her like a daughter. She without knowing it sometimes says things that make me feel like I am a million years old!!! So be strong in the face of Gen X’ers, they can keep us young if we try to keep up with them and don’t listen to them!
