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Surprising Health Gains Common in Later Life
22 Jun
Summary
- Nearly half of older Americans improved cognitive and physical health.
- Positive beliefs about aging linked to better health outcomes.
- Improvements exceed clinically meaningful thresholds.
New research from the Yale School of Public Health indicates that improvements in cognitive and physical health are common among older adults. The study, following over 11,000 individuals for up to 12 years, found that 45% experienced gains in at least one domain.
Approximately 32% showed cognitive improvement, while 28% saw physical gains, with many improvements meeting clinical significance. Researchers noted that positive beliefs about aging were strongly associated with these positive trajectories, even when controlling for other factors.
Lead author Becca Levy highlighted that focusing solely on averages can obscure these individual improvements. The findings suggest a significant reserve capacity for betterment in later life. Levy's prior work also indicated that positive age beliefs can extend lifespan by up to 7.5 years, offering a greater survival advantage than avoiding smoking.
These insights underscore the potential for interventions targeting individual and societal beliefs about aging to promote healthier outcomes and challenge the notion of inevitable decline.
