I was overjoyed to see National Geographic publish an article on the benefits of aging. Given that the subtitle of my book, Learning to Love Midlife, is 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better With Age, I’m thrilled to see comrades as prestigious as NatGeo take up this pro-aging narrative. Here’s the opening of the article:
We spend billions of dollars each year trying to fight aging—covering up wrinkles, dyeing gray hair, and chasing the promise of youth. However, while aging is often portrayed as a slow decline, scientists say that view overlooks the bigger picture. “Everyone talks about aging as this decline,” says Michelle Feng, chief clinical officer at Executive Mental Health and a licensed psychologist who specializes in geriatric psychology and medicine. “But aging is just living. It literally means that you’re alive.”
How you choose to think about aging makes a big difference in how you experience it, she adds. Studies show that people who hold more positive beliefs about aging are more likely to have better cognitive health, fewer mental health issues, and even a longer lifespan. A positive outlook “leads to better cognition, cognitive health, lower likelihood of depression and anxiety later in life,” says Feng.
You ought to read the article. While they don’t list 12 reasons, they do highlight 7:
1. You get better at handling stress
2. You become more emotionally resilient
3. Experience makes you wiser
4. You stop caring what everyone else is doing
5. Yes, sex can still be great
6. Your happiness may peak later than you think
7. Your mindset shapes how you age
As they say, aging is about mind over matter. If you don’t mind aging, it doesn’t matter. And, of course, Yale’s Becca Levy’s research shows that if you shift your mindset on aging from a negative to a positive, you gain 7.5 years of extended longevity.
It’s about time that the word got out that life after 50 is deeply rewarding. Who knows, maybe we can make aging aspirational? Even the UK’s The Times just came out with an article on the 11 things that get better with age.
-Chip
P.S. I’m so proud of Santa Fe! As a hotelier, I’ve always kept my eye on Travel & Leisure magazine’s annual list of the World’s Best Awards featuring readers’ perspectives on the best places to visit. San Francisco used to be in the top 10 each year. Perennially, Charleston, South Carolina has been #1 on the U.S. list with Santa Fe #2, but this year, Santa Fe was the #1 popular city in the U.S. You can read more about it HERE. It’s one more reason to consider a visit to MEA Santa Fe, especially during the upcoming late summer and fall when it’s the most photogenic.