Think Spring
You're as young as you feel, and I have the proof. The Journal of the American Geriatric Society reports on a Harvard Medical School study of the way 47 elderly men walked. As part of the study, researchers offered the men either positive or negative messages about the meaning of old age. Some were told they were in great shape, while others got nothing but bad news.
Those who had been given the negative stereotypes of aging continued to shuffle along. But the men who were given positive messages had more spring in their step. Many started walking as if they were 20 years younger. The study's conclusion? At least some of the effects of old age are just stereotypes that people buy into.
I feel pretty good myself, but I could use a few new parts. My knees need work, and my back is bad sometimes. I figure I'll be able to get replacements in a few years, if the world doesn't fall apart, although the last time I checked that isn't looking like such a good bet.
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