We Control How We Age

LOVE ~ The Secret to Aging Well

According to George Vaillant, “Aging happy and well, instead of sad and sick, is at least under some personal control. We have considerable control over our weight, our exercise, our education, and our abuse of cigarettes and alcohol. With hard work and/or therapy, our relationships with our spouses and our coping styles can be changed for the better. A successful old age may lie not so much in our stars and genes as in ourselves.”

The Harvard Study of Adult Development, a prospective longitudinal study, began in 1938 with 268 Harvard students, which has yielded a wealth of data on aging well. George Vaillant, M.D., principal investigator, directed the Harvard Study of Adult Development for 35 years and is the author of several books on aging and adult development. 

Reference:
Vaillant, G.E., (2012) Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Belknap Press.

Further Reading:

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/

https://harvardmagazine.com/2019/08/the-talent-for-aging-well