I watched this fascinating programme last night on BBC 2 called Don’t Grow Old. The most interesting bit was when they talked about an experiment which took place in 1979. The experiment featured male volunteers, all over 75, and they were going to be taken back in time.
They were going back 20 years, to live like it was 1959. But this meant they wouldn’t have carers, and they would have to survive by their own means.
Professor Ellen Langer from Harvard University created an environment which totally immersed the volunteers. They lived in a house which had 1950s decor, 1950s papers and 1950s television. The television had old adverts, and old news reports. They were, for one week, living 20 years earlier in a 1950s world.
The volunteers all had carers prior to the experiment, but Ellen Langer wanted to find out if age was a case of mind over body. On the first day, some of the men were a little hesitant. They had lived almost child-like for the past 10 years with rules dictating when they were allowed their dinner, where to go, and what to do. But now they were rule-free.
Within two days, all the men had were getting stuck in with cooking and tidying up. They hadn’t done this for so long, some may have even thought they couldn’t do it, but they could. Ellen Langer was changing their routines which they had lived with for 20 years and was challenging what they thought was possible. They were now making choices themselves instead of having decisions made for them. Ellen wanted to see if getting the men to think of themselves as in control would actually put them in control.
At the end of the week, the results were in, but did Ellen’s experiment work? Well, the results were quite impressive.
The men had more dexterity, better joint flexibility. They moved faster, stood taller – one even stopped using his walking stick. Their cognitive abilities improved, blood pressure decreased, some were even said to objectively look ‘younger’. Vision and hearing actually improved. Quite amazing results, I think you’ll find.
The experiment proved that a healthy and active mind can have repercussions on the body, no matter how old we might feel. It proved that how we think, changes how we age. If Ellen’s controlled experiment caused these changes, maybe with a little more positive thinking, it can change us all?
It was quite an inspiring programme actually. I’ve often worried about getting old; you see old people in the supermarket bumbling along not really knowing what day it is, let alone how to use a Quick Till and you feel a bit sorry for them. You’d start to feel useless and decrepit, with everyone having to look after you, but this programme made me think differently. I think this proved that if keep your mind active, and feel young on the inside, then the outside will follow.
I can imagine it’s hard though. As we get older – I’m starting to think about it even now, and I’m only 27 – we start to realise our own mortality. As we get older and start to find love, and or bringing other little lives into the world, you begin to realise how precious life really is. How quick that two, five, even ten years can pass in the blink of an eye. It’s scary how quick time goes when you think you’re preparing for what’s around the corner.
I don’t know who said it, but there’s a famous quote which goes something like “Life is what happens when you’re making other plans” and it’s true. Life is happening right now, even whilst you’re reading this blog. So don’t waste another minute when you could be really living. It’s these moments (although not necessarily my blog) that older people start to think about more and more as they get older. Yars of thought about missed opportunities, unrequited loves and regrets can really swallow some people up. I hope I don’t have too many regrets when I’m in my 70s. (with the exception of that Crazy Frog tattoo I got on my back)
Those thoughts can bring people down, but it’s those thoughts or rather the lack of them that made Professor Ellen Langer’s study so interesting. It said that if you can get rid of those thoughts, and if you can think young, instead of thinking old, then you really can surprise yourself.
It’s similar to another theory that I believe in; surrounding yourself with younger generations can also make you feel younger. Now my parents aren’t anywhere near their 70s like the volunteers in the programme, but since my sister had her baby, I can definitely see a change in them. They seem much more outgoing and just generally happier. I can see it’s really important to surround yourself with other relatives, but especially younger generations as you get older. It keeps your mind open to new things which younger relatives can teach you. And even though your Nan might not ever play a Wii or sign up to Twitter, the simple fact you’re telling them about these new and exciting things will be enough to keep their mind, body and soul awake and active.
——————–
If you haven’t had enough of me quite yet, I also appear on the SPOnGcast each fortnight. Visit SPOnG.com to download or iTunes to subscribe.
Big Brother may have finished but our last Big Bother podcast – Episode 8 – is now out. Just over 90 minutes of good old Big Brother chat with David Turners, Capone_Adam and myself. Download directly from the Big Bother site or subscribe on iTunes.