YOUTH HAS NO AGE

By Ryhaan Shah

In 1981, Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer ran an experiment that has come to be known as the “anticlockwise study”. For five days, she had a group of men in their 70s live in a monastery designed to look like 1959. They watched old programmes on black and white TV sets, listened to music of that time on vintage radios, read magazines and wore clothes from that decade.
The experiment went further. They were treated as if they were in their 50s and discussed the news and sports of that time. There were no photographs except those of their younger selves, and they had to fetch their own bags and do other activities as if they were younger.
At the end of the five days, independent observers said they all looked younger. They all stood taller, had better manual dexterity, and even their eyesight improved. In 2010, a BBC show recreated the experiment with ageing celebrities to similar effect.
Langer’s subsequent research led her to conclude that we can prime our minds to feel younger, which in turn can make our bodies follow suit. It would be difficult for us to retreat to a time warp, but there is no harm in recounting stories from our youth, rereading books we enjoyed when we were younger, or just listening to the music of our more youthful years.
When your parents or grandparents are sitting back and listening to Nat King Cole songs, or Mohamed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar singing old Bollywood hits, let them! They could be helping themselves to healthier ageing.
While there are benefits to nurturing the younger self, it is just as important to stay connected to the world around us and to not ignore the wonder of the whole range of new technology that helps us stay connected, and so much more easily, through the use of cell phones and the internet. Our grandchildren can navigate this world with ease, but don’t get daunted; learn to use the new devices and the advantages they provide.
In a country where we all have close family members who live in the diaspora, the WhatsApp connection on our mobile phones has become a lifeline to staying close to loved ones.
Gandhi said that our future depends on what we do today, and that quote can be true for the ageing process. Life expectancy is on the rise, and it does not always depend on our genes. My father lived to be 98.
He was the last of eight siblings, all of whom died in their 70s, 80s or even earlier, in their 40s and 50s. He was always active. He kept fit, learned about cholesterol levels, kept to a good diet, and was active in his business and jamaat until the very final months. And, yes, he took great joy in listening to the Mohamed Rafi songs he enjoyed in his youth.
There is no doubt that you can help yourself to a longer and healthier life. Exercise is key and should include mental exercise, whether it is reading, doing puzzles or games like sudoku or chess that exercise the brain, doing some simple mental arithmetic, or learning new words and how to use them. My writing this weekly column is one way I stay mentally active.
Conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia are associated with growing older, but mental decline does not have to be part of the ageing process. Keeping fit, eating well, and staying connected to family, friends, and our community can all help to stave off such decline.
And beyond just staying healthy, being active helps keep us independent by improving our ability to do tasks for ourselves. It also helps with balance and coordination, which lowers the risk of falls and fractures.
We should look at regular exercise in a positive light even when we don’t feel motivated to get up and move. It’s a proven way to a healthier and even longer life, and that’s a good payoff for the work that’s put in.
Today, there is better health care available and much more information to tap into to find out about diet, exercise, and just about every facet of this journey.
The caption on this week’s column – “Youth has no age” – is a quote from Pablo Picasso, the Spanish artist who made the most impact on the art world during the last century. He lived large and lived to be 92, and during his lifetime created thousands of pieces of paintings, drawings and sculptures. He had no time for growing old.