Yale study on the secret link between optimism and ageing well

Lifestyle

Author: Jack Marshall,
Publish Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2026, 2:52pm

Having a positive frame of mind about getting older can lead to health benefits. Photo / Unsplash

Instead of going downhill with age, what if you could actually improve your cognitive function and physical capabilities?

Astronomer Galileo Galilei, often called the “father of modern science”, completed his final masterpiece on the laws of motion while nearly blind, under house arrest and over 70.

Swimmer Diana Nyad swam 177km from Cuba to Florida when she was 64, after failing multiple times earlier in life.

Painter Joseph Turner produced some of his most ground-breaking and enduring works in his 60s.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then new research shows healthy ageing could be in the mind.

A study conducted by Yale University found that nearly half of people aged over 65 experienced improvements in either cognitive ability, physical capability or both.

What was the common trait? How they thought about ageing itself.

“Many people equate ageing with an inevitable and continuous loss of physical and cognitive abilities,” said Dr Becca Levy, a professor of public health and psychology at Yale University.

Levy said having a positive frame of mind about ageing has an impact on health expectancy.

Joseph Turner was nearly 60 when he painted his masterpiece The Dogana and San Giorgio Maggiore.

Researchers followed more than 11,000 participants in the United States, tracking changes in cognition and walking speed - often described by geriatricians as a “vital sign” because of its strong links to disability, hospitalisation and mortality.

They found that those with more positive age beliefs were significantly more likely to show improvements in cognition and walking speed, even after accounting for factors such as age, sex, education, chronic disease and depression.

Levy argued individuals’ stereotypes about age can become self-fulfilling. Meaning, if you believe seniors’ memories will fade with time, there’s a higher chance yours will.

Dr Becca Levy's research explores psychosocial factors that influence older individuals’ cognitive and physical functioning. Photo / Yale University

Prior studies have found negative age beliefs predict poorer memory, slower walking speed, higher cardiovascular risk and biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

This research could have profound impacts for countries with ageing populations, such as New Zealand.

Levy said she hoped to encourage policy makers to increase their support for preventive care and health programmes that help older people stay well for longer.

A 2023 report from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said over the next 30 years New Zealand’s population of seniors will grow from around 850,000 (17% of the population) to around 1.5 million (24%).

Ageing is associated with higher rates of chronic health conditions that require more specialised care and support, according to a Ministry of Health briefing report.

“Supporting healthy ageing can improve quality of life for older people, and reduce downstream demands on the health system, consistent with an investment and life course approach,” it reads.