If everything goes well, we’re all going to get old. That’s the best-case scenario. So how about instead of hating every birthday and complaining about our slow decay we start embracing it. Here are some ways research on age has shown we can get old joyfully.
●Seek Out Awe. If you want to increase your joy, you’ve got to be proactive about it. Luckily though, it doesn’t take much more than a 15-minute walk to get it done. Studies show that if once a week, you go outside for a walk specifically focused on checking out the environment, you will be happier and you will smile more. So leave the phone at home and spending time with Mother Nature.
●Get A Culture Fix. Research has found the more social activities you attend, the lower your mortality rate will be as you age. We’re talking about everything from going to the movies or to a restaurant or going to a sporting event. Basically anything that was canceled at some point in the last year. These cultural events are most likely great for us because social connection, deep relationships, and feelings of belonging are all connected to well-being.
●Stimulate Your Senses. The artist Arakawa and the poet Madeline Gins have designed an apartment building filled with wild colors and it’s because they believe that stimulating your senses is the key to reversing cognitive decline. While there’s no human study to back it up, there has been research on mice that live in “enriched environments” who had less neurological damage. We don’t know for sure yet that living in a house full of color could save you from dementia, but we can all agree it has a better shot than beige.
Source: TED