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Preserving Memory
A 2003 study by Klinger, et al. tracked
healthy people from middle age into their 80s. As part of the
project, researchers identified 1,200 healthy people between the ages
of 70 and 80 whose mental abilities ranked in the top third compared
to the general population in this age group. The researchers tracked
these high performers for a decade and determined who among them
tended to remain high-functioning. They identified three factors that
distinguished these people from the others:
They were more
consistently physically active than the others. They took daily
walks and other forms of exercise, for example.
They remained mentally active.
These are the people who, rather than parking in front of the TV,
did the crossword puzzle every morning, browsed the library shelves
regularly for new and interesting books, dabbled in hobbies and
crafts, or played bridge three times per week.
They had a personality quality
some have termed “self-efficacy.” They met challenges with the
confidence and desire to solve them, rather than being ground under
the wheels of misfortune.
(Klinger, S. et al. MacArthur Studies
of Successful Aging. J Clin Endocrinol Metab).
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