And according to research by Francois Matarasso for Comedia, a
leading indepedent research centre in the UK, participation in the arts
increase people's confidence, sense of self-worth, self-reliance an
involvement in social activity. Another study in Sweden tracking more
than 10,000 people found that those who regularly attended cultural
events had a lower mortality rate 13 years later than those who did not.
You become less sexual and less able to have sex as you age Not so says Terrie B. Ginsberg, DO, of the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging. In a major review of sexuality and ageing, she notes that 'contrary to many of our cultural and societal views of the ageing individual, our ageing population continues to enjoy their sexuality'. The key is keeping yourself in shape. Impotence and reduced libido aren't related to age but to medical conditions that can, in most instances, be prevented, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and depression. Something as simple as lifting weights a couple of times a week can improve your sex life.
Sexuality in later life has received limited attention from researchers. But according to surveys including more than 1,500 people, published in the British Medical Journal, older people are increasingly reporting an active -- and fulfilling - sex life. Over 30 years, researchers from
Gothenburg University in Sweden questioned groups of 70-year-olds about their sex lives. Between the first sample, in 1971, and the last, in 2000, the proportion saying that they had sexual intercourse increased among all groups: married men from 52 percent to 68 percent, married women from 38 to 56 percent, unmarried men from 30 to 54 percent, and unmarried women from 0.8 to 12 percent.
People who reached 70 in the later samples also reported higher satisfaction with their sex lives and fewer sexual dysfunctions, and the number of women reporting having orgasms increased. It is clear, as the researchers say, that 'most elderly people consider sexual activity and associated feelings a natural part of later life'.
A note of caution for any older people re-entering the dating scene, though. A survey for Saga Magazine of nearly 8,000 people aged 50 and over found that although most were sexually active, many were risking sexually transmitted infections by not using condoms with new partners. And according to data from the Health protection Agency, sexually transmitted infections are rising faster among the over-45s than in younger age groups, probably because they have less need to use condoms to guard against pregnancy and are less aware of the need for protection against sexually risky behaviour.
Your brain stops developing after the age of three When this developemental myth was overturned in the 1990s, it created a seismic shift in the way researchers viewed ageing. No longer could they look at the older brain as static. Instead, studies show, your brain continues to send out new connections and to strengthen existing connections throughout your life - as long as you continue to
challenge it. It really is the ultimate muscle in your body.
Your brain shrinks with age This myth began with studies in 2002 showing that the part of the brain that controls memory, the hippocampus, was significantly smaller in older people than in younger people. Yet ground-breaking research conducted in the 1990s by Dr Lupien showed that chronic stress shrinks the hippocampus. Was it age or stress that was responsible for the shrinking brians of older people?
Probably stress. When she examined brian scans of 177 peoople aged 18 to 85 she found that 25 percent of the 18 to 24 year olds had hippocampus volumes as small as those of adults aged 60 to 75. Her point is that perhaps 'the smaller hippocampus in the older person was already there when they were younger, possibly as a result of stress'. In fact, other research she has conducted found that people born during the world wars have smaller hippocampuses than those born between the two wars; the likely reason is that those born during the wars were exposed to so much stress early in life.
Older people are cranky and unhappy
Not quite. When researchers from Heidelberg, Germany, interviewed 40 centenarians, they found that despite significant physical and mental problems, 71 percent said they were happy and more than half said they were as happy as they'd been at younger ages. Plus, when the researchers compared them to a group of middle-aged people, they found that both groups were just as happy. Most important: nearly 70 percent of the centenarians said they laughed often.
What does it all mean? That there is no universal definition of ageing. How you'll age is entirely up to you - starting today.
You become less sexual and less able to have sex as you age Not so says Terrie B. Ginsberg, DO, of the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging. In a major review of sexuality and ageing, she notes that 'contrary to many of our cultural and societal views of the ageing individual, our ageing population continues to enjoy their sexuality'. The key is keeping yourself in shape. Impotence and reduced libido aren't related to age but to medical conditions that can, in most instances, be prevented, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and depression. Something as simple as lifting weights a couple of times a week can improve your sex life.
Sexuality in later life has received limited attention from researchers. But according to surveys including more than 1,500 people, published in the British Medical Journal, older people are increasingly reporting an active -- and fulfilling - sex life. Over 30 years, researchers from
Gothenburg University in Sweden questioned groups of 70-year-olds about their sex lives. Between the first sample, in 1971, and the last, in 2000, the proportion saying that they had sexual intercourse increased among all groups: married men from 52 percent to 68 percent, married women from 38 to 56 percent, unmarried men from 30 to 54 percent, and unmarried women from 0.8 to 12 percent.
People who reached 70 in the later samples also reported higher satisfaction with their sex lives and fewer sexual dysfunctions, and the number of women reporting having orgasms increased. It is clear, as the researchers say, that 'most elderly people consider sexual activity and associated feelings a natural part of later life'.
A note of caution for any older people re-entering the dating scene, though. A survey for Saga Magazine of nearly 8,000 people aged 50 and over found that although most were sexually active, many were risking sexually transmitted infections by not using condoms with new partners. And according to data from the Health protection Agency, sexually transmitted infections are rising faster among the over-45s than in younger age groups, probably because they have less need to use condoms to guard against pregnancy and are less aware of the need for protection against sexually risky behaviour.
Your brain stops developing after the age of three When this developemental myth was overturned in the 1990s, it created a seismic shift in the way researchers viewed ageing. No longer could they look at the older brain as static. Instead, studies show, your brain continues to send out new connections and to strengthen existing connections throughout your life - as long as you continue to
challenge it. It really is the ultimate muscle in your body.
Your brain shrinks with age This myth began with studies in 2002 showing that the part of the brain that controls memory, the hippocampus, was significantly smaller in older people than in younger people. Yet ground-breaking research conducted in the 1990s by Dr Lupien showed that chronic stress shrinks the hippocampus. Was it age or stress that was responsible for the shrinking brians of older people?
Probably stress. When she examined brian scans of 177 peoople aged 18 to 85 she found that 25 percent of the 18 to 24 year olds had hippocampus volumes as small as those of adults aged 60 to 75. Her point is that perhaps 'the smaller hippocampus in the older person was already there when they were younger, possibly as a result of stress'. In fact, other research she has conducted found that people born during the world wars have smaller hippocampuses than those born between the two wars; the likely reason is that those born during the wars were exposed to so much stress early in life.
Older people are cranky and unhappy
Not quite. When researchers from Heidelberg, Germany, interviewed 40 centenarians, they found that despite significant physical and mental problems, 71 percent said they were happy and more than half said they were as happy as they'd been at younger ages. Plus, when the researchers compared them to a group of middle-aged people, they found that both groups were just as happy. Most important: nearly 70 percent of the centenarians said they laughed often.
What does it all mean? That there is no universal definition of ageing. How you'll age is entirely up to you - starting today.
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