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Absurd straw man argument, entirely devoid of all logic. No one ever claimed attitude can cure those sorts of things, and genetics were acknowledged as being important. No one makes "such claims", so you have set yourself the task of refuting claims no one has made, at least not in this thread so far.
This is the BS we got from the original post: "I have noticed people tend to get old when they believe they are old." Sounds to me like the OP is saying we get old because we believe we are old. I suppose that also means we can avoid getting old with the correct beliefs.
Again, nonsense! The ageing process includes all sorts of main issues such as diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. Poor diet and lack of exercise might contribute to some. That is not the same as saying we have those or can avoid them based on what we believe about ourselves. That is equally true for all the other minor facets of age deterioration. Try believing you are not going to go bald or you skin is not going to sag.
I have heard the same it is all in your mind crapola for years. Rarely is that ever true. I ran around from one specialist to another for years because I did not feel well. No one seemed to have a diagnosis or treatment. Finally it seemed I must be depressed. Treatment and pills seemed to make no difference. Then by accident a doc ordered a test that had been overlooked as not worth it. It seems that my bad thinking and "depression" had a cause.
My story has been told countless times. If you don't feel well (or as young as you would like) it is hard not to notice. That does not mean some bad attitude or beliefs are causing you to feel poorly (or older).
A thread in the Philosophy forum, and a wonderful post there, made me think of how important this is in our Retirement Forum. Significant enough, in my opinion, to merit its own thread here. (And yes I know, the discussion topic is not entirely new to us.)
A knowledgeable poster wrote the following:
"I'm a family medicine provider and I see all ages every workday, from birth to the very, very old. It never ceases to amaze me how differently people can appear (and function) within the same chronological age range.
I have noticed people tend to get old when they believe they are old. They then begin acting old and making old decisions, reinforcing their "old" belief.
Genetics play a big role but so does lifestyle and attitude. You cant run from genetics, but you can change your lifestyle and attitude."
While I have no credentials like the above, this is exactly what I have always felt about the matter. Discussion?
I will be 80 in July and I have decided that on my birthday I will be old.
I have heard the same it is all in your mind crapola for years. Rarely is that ever true. I ran around from one specialist to another for years because I did not feel well. No one seemed to have a diagnosis or treatment. Finally it seemed I must be depressed. Treatment and pills seemed to make no difference. Then by accident a doc ordered a test that had been overlooked as not worth it. It seems that my bad thinking and "depression" had a cause.
My story has been told countless times. If you don't feel well (or as young as you would like) it is hard not to notice. That does not mean some bad attitude or beliefs are causing you to feel poorly (or older).
However there are people who act older than their biological age. Broad brush ... this is typical of people who live their lives based on a script crafted from arbitrary milestones, i.e. "by age X you must Y .... "
My mother-in-law is 85 years old. She said she considered herself middle aged a couple of years ago! Who was I to correct her??
I roughly consider 50-64 young old, 65-79 old, and 80+ very old.
I'm going to side with your mother-in-law.
At 62, I consider old 90+, but I bet I can find someone in that age group who will tell me they aren't "old" and if they say it, they will be speaking their truth, which is all that really matters.
Old is when you give up. By me estimation my grandma was never old and she died at 94. I don't know that health problems make you old--she had cancer and bad arthritis when she died but she was still young at heart.
This is the BS we got from the original post: "I have noticed people tend to get old when they believe they are old." Sounds to me like the OP is saying we get old because we believe we are old. I suppose that also means we can avoid getting old with the correct beliefs.
Again, nonsense! The ageing process includes all sorts of main issues such as diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. Poor diet and lack of exercise might contribute to some. That is not the same as saying we have those or can avoid them based on what we believe about ourselves. That is equally true for all the other minor facets of age deterioration. Try believing you are not going to go bald or you skin is not going to sag.
Maybe skin sagging has nothing to do with getting old. Maybe people who are not old get cancer. You can look old but you don't have to be old.
A friend of mine told me that it's when friends your age start dying of natural/disease causes. That struck a chord with me, but I think for many of us that's in our 50's :-(. I do think it has a lot to do with attitude. If you act like you've given up & are just waiting around to die, you're old to me. That can happen in the 50's or 60's or in the 90's or not at all.
My parents are in their early 70's. They hate to leave the house & try not to, they have no interest in learning anything new, if you suggest doing anything to them, they'll give you a million excuses why they can't. If you suggest a change that may improve their lives, they'll say "that's just the way I am, deal with it". They have no interest in exercising, they don't want to have friends. They're old. And sad. My MIL is in her 90's & had to sell her house & move into a Sr. apartment. She has a vibrant social life, loves to read, likes to go places. Yeah, she's chronologically old, but keeping your mind active is a way to keep young. I see it with my parents. They have practically become shut ins & so they have lost many of their skills. To the point that one of them thinks they have memory issues, but it's really clear to family members, that it's simply lack of socialization.
Chronologically, I'd have to say around 80. Realistically, the mind has a LOT to do with it. Use it or lose it is definitely true, I've even seen it in myself & friends my own age (50's).
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