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19 December 2005
Attitude Key To Successful Aging 
"Mind over matter" is the key to successful aging according to experts at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology's annual meeting. Attitude and coping style is all important, said researcher Dilip Jeste, from the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine. "The medical community has not reached consensus on what constitutes successful aging. The commonly used criteria suggest that a person is aging well if they have a low level of disease and disability. However, this study shows that self-perception about aging can be more important than the traditional success markers." More than 500 older Americans, between 60 and 98, who live independently, were the subjects of the study. The participants were representative of national averages with regard to incidence of medical conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Additionally, around 25 percent of the participants had been diagnosed at some time with a mental health problem. Despite physical illness and disability, the study participants rated their own degree of successful aging as 8.4 on a scale of 10. This is surprising as most of the respondents in the study would not meet the criteria for successful aging as quantified by more traditional measures that include absence of disease and freedom from disability. "What is most interesting about this study is that people who think they are aging well are not necessarily the most healthy individuals," said Jeste. "In fact, optimism and effective coping styles were found to be more important to aging successfully than traditional measures of health and wellness. These findings suggest that physical health is not the best indicator of successful aging - attitude is."
The researchers said that another strong indicator of successful aging was the level of social and community involvement undertaken. Participants who spent time each day on hobbies, such as reading and writing, or socializing with other members of the community consistently gave themselves higher scores. Participants who had a paid job outside of the home were also more likely to give themselves higher scores. Volunteer activities, however, were not found to exert the same influence. "This study is encouraging because it shows that the best predictors of successful aging are well within an individual's control," concluded Jeste. "This information could lead to the development of a new model for successful aging." Source: Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine
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