A new study presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention, revealed a surprising link between feeling in control and living longer.
“Research suggests that a younger subjective age, or when people feel younger than their chronological age, is associated with a variety of positive outcomes in older individuals, including better memory performance, health and longevity,” Jennifer Bellingtier, PhD a professor at Friedrich Schiller University said in her presentation. “Our research suggests that subjective age changes on a daily basis and older adults feel significantly younger on days when they have a greater sense of control.”
Researchers hypothesize that feeling young motivates people to exercise, eat well and generally make healthier choices. Bellingtier says autonomy also improves mental health by encouraging individuals to take steps to effect change in their life.
For this study, Bellingtier and her co-author Shevaun Neupert, PhD, a Professor of Psychology at North Carolina State University asked participants to rate their level of control and how old they felt for nine consecutive days. Bellingtier says the responses show that subjective age can change from day to day, and on days when participants felt more in control, they listed a lower subjective age.
The ability for older adults to lower subjective age is significant. According to BBC, a study at University of Montpellier found that adults with a perceived older subjective age had an 18-25% greater chance of dying while the study was underway.
“My interpretation would be that when older adults perceive more control this corresponds to the perception that they can accomplish their goals, and that their actions matter,” Bellingtier says. “Thus they may be more likely to be active and engaged with the world.” Numerous studies have shown people who are more active and engaged in the world and making healthier choices enjoy a longer, healthier life.
To apply the findings of this study to everyday life, Bellingtier recommends that older adults think critically about how they can exert more control over their lives.
“One possibility would be for individuals to start by identifying situations where they would like to have more control,” Bellingtier says. “You could do this by keeping a proactive diary of upcoming events, and how you would like to handle these situations.”
