For many, the transition into later life is marked by a series of societal expectations regarding when one should step back from professional life. It is the moment a professional reaches a certain milestone and is asked, so when are you going to retire?
Prof Velandai Srikanth, director of the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, experienced this firsthand upon turning 60. As a geriatrician, Srikanth observes a wide spectrum of these attitudes, ranging from those who view aging as an inevitable slide into decrepitude to those who see the third age
as a period of opportunity. These perceptions of aging are significant and can influence an individual’s overall wellbeing and health outcomes.
The link between age-beliefs and physical function
The impact of these beliefs on the body is measurable. In a study involving more than 11,000 people between the ages of 50 and 99, researchers from the Yale School of Public Health found that positive attitudes toward aging were linked to better performance in memory tests, mathematics, and walking speed.
Crucially, the data suggested that a positive outlook doesn’t just slow decline—it can be associated with actual improvement. According to The Guardian, 44% of participants showed improvements in cognition and walking speed over an average eight-year follow-up period. Those who entered the study with positive feelings about aging were more likely to be among those who improved.
Researchers found that people who maintain high levels of function into old age are often viewed as exceptions to the rule, rather than representative of what is possible through positive outlooks and lifestyle.
“Many people have examples in their own lives or can point to people that do show improvement in later life, but we tend to classify them as exceptions or exemplars,” Prof Becca Levy, Yale School of Public Health
To quantify these beliefs, researchers used the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale, which asks participants to rate their agreement with statements such as I am as happy now as I was when I was younger
versus The older I get, the more useless I feel
.
Distinguishing normal aging from disease
From a clinical perspective, a key challenge in healthy aging is the tendency for individuals to perceive natural age-related changes as signs of illness. Prof Ian Robertson, a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist at Trinity College Dublin, emphasizes that this distinction is vital for maintaining mental health.
When an older adult forgets a name, they may interpret it as an early sign of dementia. In contrast, a person in their 30s typically brushes off the same occurrence. This difference in perception can trigger a cycle of anxiety that physically impairs the brain.
Robertson explains that worrying about memory is equivalent to thinking about your feet as you walk downstairs
, an act that produces anxiety. This anxiety then interferes biologically and psychologically, effectively using up available memory space.
“We must not confuse disease with age. It is not a disease,” Prof Ian Robertson, Trinity College Dublin
This distinction is supported by broader data. Robertson noted that while the prevalence of dementia in Ireland is increasing because more people are living longer, the actual incidence has not increased.
The cognitive cost of early retirement
The decision to stop working early may also be linked to cognitive health. While early retirement is a cultural norm in countries such as Italy and France, Robertson suggests it may not be the healthiest path for the brain. He cites examples of retirees in Italy sitting in piazzas or playing boules, noting that their memory function can be significantly lower than that of 65-year-olds in the UK, Ireland, or Florida.
This suggests that maintaining cognitive function is closely related to continued engagement in stimulating activities. Data from the International Monetary Fund, covering 41 countries, indicated that the cognitive performance of a 70-year-old in 2020 was comparable to that of a 53-year-old in 2000.
The implication is that the brain benefits from consistent mental demand. When a person retires early, they may lose the cognitive flexibility that comes from navigating the demands of a professional or active social environment.
Overcoming ‘out of date’ mental models
The danger of negative expectations is not just psychological; it manifests in physical mobility. Data from TILDA, the Trinity College tracking survey on aging, found that individuals who held negative expectations about aging walked significantly slower two years later compared to those with positive views. These individuals also showed a decrease in social activity and a reduction in cognitive flexibility.
To counter this, Robertson urges a rejection of highly inaccurate and out of date
mental models of what growing older feels like. He argues that the tendency to become less active is often a result of these outdated beliefs rather than a physical inability.
The path to maintaining function involves a conscious effort to avoid complacency. As Robertson warns, We must ensure we don’t become lazy – it is too easy to become lazy
.
Whether through continuing to work or engaging in new, stimulating activities such as joining a charity committee, the goal is to maintain an active engagement with the world. By shifting the internal narrative from one of inevitable decline to one of continued effort, the trajectory of aging can be meaningfully altered.
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