Your future self might exist between your ears.
The brain is a powerful and funny thing. It can play tricks on you, and according to a new study, may be central to the future you will ultimately experience.
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The study shows that how people think about their future selves is an extremely accurate indicator of how they will end up living.
So, if you think that age is little more than a number and you’ll be living happy, healthy, and well-connected decades from now, you’ve got a great chance at realizing it. If you picture a future of chronic illness, memory loss, or other stigmata of old age, you could be willing such an outlook into existence.
Drawing on previous research suggesting that people with positive outlooks for the future live longer and better, this Oregon State University study examined how a person’s perceived ability to become their future self, as well as optimism, factor into lived experience.
Shelbie Turner, the co-author of the study, said that “how we think about who we’re going to be in old age is very predictive of exactly how we will be.”
When people believed that they would be independent, have a robust social network, and remain active, they were far more likely to do so. On the other hand, those believing stereotypes of old age like illness and memory loss were more likely to have those experiences.
Even making jokes to reinforce such stereotypes played a role in outcomes.
Interestingly, another new study looked at outlook and aging.
It looked at something called “quiet hope” that exists among populations of older Japanese communities. It is the idea that even though concerns for the future exist, things will work out somehow and be alright.
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In other words, the uncertainty was accepted, but they remained active in their social lives and did their best to live a healthy lifestyle.
Believing you can be the person you want to be, practicing gratitude, and getting into the right mental space may play a huge role in your aging experience.
Think and you shall become!
Sarah began her interest in nutritional healing at an early age. After going through health problems and becoming frustrated with the conventional ways doctors wanted to treat her illness (which were not working), she took it upon herself to find alternative treatments. This led her to revolutionize her own diet to help her get healthier and tackle her health problems. She began treating her illness by living a more balanced lifestyle through healthy food choices, exercise and other alternative medicine such as meditation. This total positive lifestyle change led her to earn a diploma in Nutritional Therapy from Health Sciences Academy in London, England. Today, Sarah enjoys helping others by teaching healthy lifestyle changes through her personal consultations and with her regular contributions to the Doctors Health Press. Also, passionate about following her dreams in life, Sarah moved to France and lived in Paris for over 5 years where she earned a certification in beadwork and embroidery from Lesage (an atelier owned by Chanel). She then went on to be a familiar face sitting front row and reporting from Paris Fashion Week. Sarah continues to practice some of the cultural ways of life she learned while in Europe. They enjoy their food, and take the time to relax and enjoy many of life’s little moments. These are life lessons she is glad to have brought back home with her.
