The state of mind is the mood or mental state a person is in any given time. It’s a rather abstract concept to classify which state of mind a person is in. However, if we put the technicalities away, we can see a few common “states”. Ranging from optimistic, pessimistic to even a neutral state of mind. The interesting bit behind this is that the state you are in is believed to be a catalyst for a better aging.

In fact, a study conducted by Humana, showed that subjects who had a positive optimistic outlook on their age, of which

• 39 percent reported feeling more confident
• 46 percent reported feeling happier
• 31 percent reported a reduction in restless sleep.

This narrates how a person in their late years greatly benefit from just a change on how they see their age.

This phenomenon is especially common amongst athletes. Olga Kotelko is a perfect example who shocked the athletic world as well as the scientific one by pushing her career through the age of 90. Not only competing but winning a whopping 750 gold medals and setting 37 world records in multiple areas. Ms. Olga addressed her success by saying “Of all my secrets to good health, I think one should be optimistic. Every day I try to wake up with a smile. If I get mad or upset, I try to move on quickly. I’ve got more important things to do!”.

Now, although thinking positive may not save you from old age it has been proven to make the ride into your seniority a lot less rough. The simpler idea behind this is that a person who excuses themselves from activities that could be healthy to them by believing they are too weak becomes weaker by not participating in such activities. In addition to this the outlook allows for a better chance for seniors to interact with their social circles which in turn boosts their mental health allowing for a reverse vicious cycle. Allowing for the person to age gracefully.

In the world of science, it’s called having a cognitive age which is different to the biological age of the person. In a 2009 study called “Marketing to Seniors: Age Really is a State of Mind”, people with a younger outlook than their actual age experienced a better health, life satisfaction, attitudes toward aging and a higher level of activities and participation in organizations.

In conclusion, have the best  outlook on your life no matter what obstacle you may face as the state of your mind may just be the tool that pushes you through to a future you’d hope to see.

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