Imagine that researchers could tell you how to plot your way to a satisfying old age. Would you listen?<\/p>\n
The researchers think you would, and they\u2019ve been trying to map that elusive path for decades. They\u2019ve quizzed countless older people about their health, relationships, mental issues, spiritual beliefs and so on. <\/p>\n
The result? Not one theory. Not one path. Not one\u2026but a bundle. The road to a satisfying old age has many branches\u2014different ones appealing to different personalities.<\/p>\n
Paths from the Good Ol\u2019 Days<\/strong><\/p>\n People who are happy and preferably healthy in their later years are doing what some researchers call successfully aging. What\u2019s not crystal clear is how they got there.<\/p>\n Early on, there were three main theories of aging. Recognize anyone you know in them?<\/p>\n Though each theory fitted some people, none fitted all. So researchers kept exploring and developing ideas. After a while, they finally agreed on the current consensus: there is no consensus. And the search for new ideas and explanations continues. <\/p>\n Today\u2019s Theories<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere is no one way to age successfully,\u201d says Jennifer Kinney, PhD, professor of gerontology at Miami University in Ohio. \u201cThere are several popular perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the newer theories, successful agers might focus on physical issues such as health and fitness. They could seek satisfaction in intensified relationships. Or they might turn inward, nurturing their spirituality or inner growth.<\/p>\n There are so many options, you can pick what fits you best. With that in mind, the Silver Century Foundation describes four personality types, each with a different approach to aging happily and successfully:<\/p>\n Which type you\u2019re likely to be depends on what\u2019s most important to you.<\/p>\n The Life Savorer<\/strong><\/p>\n Life Savorers let go of some activities and relationships. This isn\u2019t a depressing development. And it\u2019s not happening just because their bodies are aging. They become choosier because they realize time is winding down.<\/p>\n People who think they\u2019ll live quite a while longer are more focused on meeting others and learning things that may come in handy one day, according to a theory called socioemotional selectivity. As they get older and realize their time is limited, they focus more on emotional goals and enjoying the present.<\/p>\n Life Savorers invest in meaningful relationships. They pay attention to positive things more than negative ones. They feel good about themselves and life, despite physical challenges that can accompany growing older.<\/p>\n The Strategic Maintainer<\/strong><\/p>\n Say a woman has been growing her own vegetables for decades. Gardening keeps her active, and it feeds her body and soul. But lately, knee problems have kept her from kneeling in the dirt. What does she do? She buys a bench to sit on while she digs.<\/p>\n With this practical solution, this gardener has fallen smack dab into a theory called selection, optimization and compensation. It says that throughout life, in order to be successful, we do three things:<\/p>\n When I am an old woman I shall wear purpleStrategic Maintainers use these steps to maintain their quality of life as abilities change. Like Life Savorers, they narrow down goals and activities, but they do it so they can focus on areas that help them live better. For example, they set out to stay healthy, avoid injury, remain independent or spend time with loved ones.<\/p>\n While their physical or mental abilities might decline, quality of life for Strategic Maintainers remains relatively high.<\/p>\n The Transcender<\/strong><\/p>\n With a red hat which doesn\u2019t go, and doesn\u2019t suit me. (Excerpt from \u201cWarning,\u201d by Jenny Joseph)<\/p>\n According to a theory known as gerotranscendence, successful agers toss many social expectations out the window. They\u2019re beyond those concerns now\u2014beyond many things, actually.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mistake we make in middle age is thinking that good aging means continuing to be the way we were at 50. Maybe it\u2019s not,\u201d said Lars Tornstam, the Swedish social gerontologist who developed this theory, in a 2010 interview for a New York Times<\/em> blog, the New Old Age<\/em>.<\/p>\n Transcenders focus on spirituality. They become less concerned with how their bodies look. They reminisce and reflect. As they mentally break down boundaries of time and space, they become less fearful of death.<\/p>\n They spend their time on intimate relationships, not superficial ones, and they cherish their alone time. They become wiser and less self-centered. Life starts falling into place, but they also accept its mysteries. For Transcenders, why not wear purple with a red hat? Life is about more than what we see. And aging is about moving beyond it.<\/p>\n The Preparer<\/strong><\/p>\n So far, the theories have focused mostly on what people do once they\u2019re older. But there\u2019s a big theory that takes one\u2019s entire life into account. It\u2019s called the life-course perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cI tell my students, ‘Now this one\u2019s the bomb,’\u201d says Denise Lewis, PhD, assistant professor of gerontology at the University of Georgia. \u201cRight now, I think it\u2019s probably the best way for us to understand aging.\u201d<\/p>\n Preparers start affecting their old age before they even get there. Lewis recommends five research-backed steps to age successfully. They fit into this theory, and people can start at a young age:<\/p>\n Diverse People, Diverse Paths<\/strong><\/p>\n Today, there are a variety of aging-well paths to choose from, and if you\u2019re not sure you\u2019re headed toward a satisfying old age, now\u2019s the time to change your trajectory.<\/p>\n In her book, The Search for Fulfillment<\/em> (2010), psychology professor Susan Krauss Whitbourne, PhD, offers advice for people who want to make a change in order to age successfully:<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re a fitness buff, a spiritual sage or a meticulous planner, there\u2019s a successful-aging path for you. Whichever you choose, it\u2019ll be fascinating to see what\u2019s over its horizon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Imagine that researchers could tell you how to plot your way to a satisfying old age. Would you listen? The researchers think you would, and they\u2019ve been trying to map that elusive path for decades. They\u2019ve quizzed countless older people…<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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\nAnd run my stick along the public railings
\nAnd make up for the sobriety of my youth.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere is also often a feeling of cosmic communion with the spirit of the universe,\u201d Tornstam writes in his book Gerotranscendence: A Developmental Theory of Positive Aging <\/em>(2005).<\/p>\n\n
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