Your chronological age may say 65, but your brain could be acting a decade younger — or older — depending on your life experiences.
That’s the message from a study by University of Florida researchers, who found that optimism, good sleep, social support and other positive factors were strongly linked with healthier brains. The findings suggest that how people live and cope with stress can measurably influence the pace of brain aging, even in those living with chronic pain.
“These are things that people have some level of control over,” said Jared Tanner, Ph.D., a research associate professor in the College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida who helped lead the new study. “You can learn how to perceive stress differently. Poor sleep is very treatable. Optimism can be practiced.”
Read more about Healthy Habits Can Make Your Brain Age More Slowly, Study Finds.
