Influence how you age

Laura Carstensen, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, is best known for her research regarding socioemotional selectivity theory — a life-span theory of motivation. With her students and colleagues, she has published well over 100 articles on life-span development. BeWell asked Dr. Carstensen to address questions we all have about aging and what we can do to determine its course.

What is the biggest misconception about aging?

Clearly [laughter] that aging is all downhill — and that it is an intractable process. Many people believe that nothing can be done and they should just brace themselves for the worst.

Why are researchers so confident that people can influence their own aging?

If you measured six-month-olds, you’d find a very small range in what they can and can’t do. We are able to predict a lot of things about them (sitting up, smiling, etc). If you looked at two 80-year-olds, it becomes more difficult. One could be severely demented, the other a Supreme Court justice. Or one could be a marathon runner, the other in a wheelchair. In regard to aging, there is an enormous amount of variability, and research has shown that it is mostly due to lifestyle.

Are you saying that our individual outcome is in our hands?

Genes only predict 20% or 30% of outcomes when we talk about a full life course. By the time people reach 70, genes have done much of their work, good or bad. Once you get to 70, it seems that exercise, diet and mental stimulation predict how well people will do.

What attracted you to the field of longevity?

An accident [laughter].  When I was 21, I broke many, many bones. I spent four months in an orthopedic ward. Orthopedic wards have bimodal age distributions: young people from automobile accidents and old people with broken hips. So, I was surrounded mostly by old women, and I noticed the stark difference in the way we were being treated. I was being rehabilitated, and they were being maintained. It made me begin to think about how much of aging is biological and how much of it is social.

How has your work affected the way you live?

I study how time horizons influence goals. As people age, they see time as more scarce and consequently more precious. Under these conditions, people pursue goals that are really meaningful. Older adults are more likely to do what feels good because they are unburdened by having to prepare for the future and all possible outcomes. Knowing that, I’ve taught myself to just live in the here and now — every once in a while.

Interview conducted by Julie Croteau and edited by Dorothy Lane Ryan.