How can we improve memory loss?
Do you walk into a room and instantly forget what you needed to do when you got there? Or have you turned up to a dentist’s appointment only to find that you are expected tomorrow and you’re a day early? These situations are common and signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and according to AGE UK affect 20% of older adults.
However, a study carried out by Yale School of Public Health has proved for the first time that having a positive mental attitude to ageing can lead to recovery from MCI and more quickly than if you have a negative attitude. Dr Levy recruited 1716 participants over the age of 65 and assessed them at the beginning of the study for their age-belief, using statements like “The older I get, the more useless I feel.” The participants were then tracked for 12 years during which cognitive data was collected for all participants. The study confirmed that the positive age-belief group had a 30.2% greater likelihood of recovery than the negative age-belief group and recovered their cognition two years faster. Interestingly, those with positive age beliefs at the start of the study also had a lower prevalence of MCI than those with negative age beliefs and were less likely to develop them over the course of the study.
You can find the study here:-
There’s a wealth of studies that this adds to which shows having a positive mental attitude means you’re less likely to develop illnesses of many types. As a society, we need to consider the role that age beliefs have on health and happiness long-term.