Most people view aging as a universally negative part of life. The thoughts of another birthday coming around was enough to make us recoil in horror when we younger. Although there are challenges associated with it, there are also quite a few upsides to getting older that adults will no doubt appreciate.
Aging Isn’t A Lose-Lose Aspect Of Life
The stereotypical image that the majority of people form in their heads of getting older is that of someone who is sad, lonely or feeble. However, this is far from the truth. The aging process is much more graceful and enjoyable than we think.
Growing old is an enormous part of everyone’s lives but it is the attitude that we approach it with that makes all the difference. Aging doesn’t have to be a negative aspect of life, rather it can allow you to fully appreciate the life that you have made for yourself so far and enjoy all the memories that are still to come.
There Are Upsides To Getting Older
There are numerous benefits to growing older, most notably that of a higher sense of self-worth and a better ability to make decisions.
As we age and have new experiences, we are able to identify the things that matter to us the most in life. Throughout our lives, we as human beings, have a tendency to worry and stress about things that are essentially out of our control. Other people’s opinions and their expectations can overwhelm us and change our perception of ourselves.
However, as we get older, we gain the ability to overlook negative intrusions in our lives and focus on our own personal happiness allowing for increased levels of self-worth and satisfaction.
Our life experience to date also allows us to make better-informed decisions. As stereotypical as it may sound but the older that we get, the more knowledge that we have and essentially the wiser we are. Having a clearer idea of what our priorities are and having life lessons to look back on, allows us to make better decisions going forward.
We also tend to be kinder to ourselves overall while we get older and have the ability to step back and appreciate the nicer things in life. Events such as spending time with our children and grandchildren become a priority.
What Research And Studies Say About Aging
Many research studies have been carried out in the past investigating the effect that aging can have on both our minds and our bodies.
It is generally thought that as we get older, the capabilities of our minds decrease. While this is true to an extent and older adults are prone to experience short-term memory loss, research has found that our brains continue to develop neurons as we age. What this means is that our minds have the ability to stay sharper for longer than was previously thought. As long as you are actively engaging in new learning opportunities such as learning a language, then your brain will be able to reshape itself to accommodate this new information.
A study carried out in 2010 by the journal Cortex also found that our levels of happiness increase as we age. Researchers asked a group of participants to view a series of photos. These photos depicted various scenarios that had either positive or negative connotations. Researchers scanned the brains of participants and found that older adults showed strong connections with regions of the brain that processed emotions. This means that our ability to identify and react to positive scenarios increases as we get older inevitably increasing our overall levels of happiness.
Keeping A Positive Outlook On Your Golden Years
Aging gracefully is better than aging with fear. Getting older is a part of life but it is also something that we can enjoy. By keeping a positive outlook as we age, we can ensure that our golden years are the best of our lives. From becoming wiser and increased levels of happiness to having clearer priorities, there are many things that we have to look forward to.
Most importantly of all though, you get to enjoy your grandchildren but also you get to give them back!