Memories are a precious gift in life and most of us wish to keep the good ones around in our mind for a long, long time. Physical as well as emotional factors however can make saving and retaining memories a very hard thing to do. According to the latest study, however, psychologists believe a person’s positive mindset can make it unlikely for them to experience memory loss or decline as they grow older.
The study is published in a journal called Psychological Science, according to the findings of the study people who tend to be cheerful and enthusiastic in life have a positive effect on not only themselves and their moods but also the health of their memory. These results expand the already growing number of research that suggests that a person will age healthily if they maintain a positive outlook in life.
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This just goes on to show how important it is to have a healthy mindset in life and maintain positivity within us so we may age with our health intact.
The researchers on the study evaluated data coming from as many as 991 adults who were either middle-aged or were older in the U.S. these people all participated in this national-level study that was carried out during three different periods. The first time slot was from 1995 to 1996, the second was from 2004 to 2006, and lastly 2013 to 2014.
During each assessment, the participants of the study talked about the range of emotions they experience that was positive during the previous 30 days. In the remaining 2 assessments, the participating individuals also were asked to complete tests that tested the performance of their memory. This was done to check for memory loss or decline. These tests involved the remembering of words quickly after they were shown and again after 15 minutes of seeing the image or presentation.
The researchers then proceeded to analyze the link between memory decline and the effects a positive mindset had on it. They looked at factors such as age, education, gender, negative effects, depression, and extraversion.
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Claudia Haase is an associate professor at Northwestern University, she was also an author of the paper. She says that the results of the research that with age memory loss does occur. In individuals who have superior levels of positive effect, however, the memory decline is much less steep over the time of about a whole decade.
This means that the positive effects of our thoughts extend very well to the health of our cognitive memories. This further emphasizes the societal need to remain positive for the sake of our healths.
Future research may better build upon and address the health pathways that can link positive effects to human memory such as things like physical health as well as social relationships. This will not only make way for better treatment plans for people who have a predisposition to memory illnesses but also inspire people to have better lifestyles that will sustain them and their memories in the later stages of their lives.
