Positive Expectations for Aging Lead to Greater Health
By Richard Shank
New research suggests that the health benefits of active aging stem from more positive expectations about getting older.
Models of positive aging suggest that elevated levels of physical activity play a role in greater health and longevity. However, these models do not address the negative expectations about the aging process held by many older adults.
It is often the case that older adults believe health problems are an inevitable part of aging. For many people, this negative expectation results in a lack of motivation to proactively maintain and/or enhance their mental and physical health: a sedentary lifestyle is felt to be justified if nothing can be done to prevent chronic disease or illness.
Researchers at the University of South Korea recently demonstrated the role that these expectations about aging play in the aging process itself. For a large percentage of older adults, expectations about aging become a self-fulfilling prophecy: those who have a positive concept of aging (i.e. they do not see the aging process as inevitably one of acquiring a series of ailments) are more likely to lead healthy lifestyles into old age and are more likely to respond positively to the health-promoting activities of professionals. On the other hand, those who expect aging to inevitably involve a loss of physical functioning are more likely to passively age and accept the fate they unintentionally assign themselves.
This research suggests that health programs should include more information on managing expectations as an important factor in the aging process.
Source: Hyun, Kim, S. August 2008. Older people's expectations regarding aging, health-promoting behavior, and health status. Journal of Advanced Nursing.
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