Are you the type of person who thinks you’ll become forgetful as you get older or that your memory will be just as good years from now as it is today? Careful: Your answer can determine the outcome! In a recent study, older folks who believed that seniors do poorly on memory tests actually scored “much worse” than those who didn’t believe aging has much of an affect on recall, reports the journal Experimental Aging Research. Turns out, buying into negative stereotypes about growing old is a self-fulfilling prophecy. And no wonder: When you believe your brain stay sharp as you get older, you’re more likely to regularly exercise it with puzzles, games and conversations, which keeps it in tip-top shape.
[photo: Julia Freeman-Wolpert]
