We are all searching for ways to improve longevity, and recent research suggests the answer might lie within our minds. The key to a longer, healthier life may be mental resilience, the ability to adapt and cope with life's challenges. A recent study reveals that maintaining this mental fortitude in old age helps you stay active and significantly reduces the risk of death.
Mental resilience can help people recover from illness and trauma but the extent to which it can affect aging and mortality remains unknown. The latest study, published in the journal BMJ Mental Health, explored the association between psychological resilience and all-cause mortality in a national cohort of older adults in the U.S.
The researchers used data from the Health and Retirement Study, which took place from 2006 to 2008 and included 10,569 participants aged 50 and older. They tracked participants' mortality outcomes using records up to May 2021. Psychological resilience was assessed based on qualities like perseverance, calmness, a sense of purpose, self-reliance, and the capacity to handle challenges independently.
Advanced statistical models were employed to analyze the link between psychological resilience and the risk of dying from any cause. To explore further, the researchers used a technique known as restricted cubic splines.
During the study period, there were 3,489 deaths from all causes among the participants. "An almost linear association emerged between mental resilience score and death from any cause: the higher the score, the lower was the risk of death, with this association stronger in women than in men," the news release stated.
Based on the resilience scores, the researchers found that individuals in the highest quartile were 53% less likely to die within the next 10 years compared to those in the lowest quartile. "In all, the risk of death was 20% lower (2nd quartile), 27% lower (3rd), and 38% lower (4th) in those with higher mental resilience scores than it was in those with the lowest scores (Ist quartile), once potentially influential factors had been accounted for," stated the news release.
Since the study is observational, it cannot establish a causal relationship. The study also has limitations, including the lack of consideration for genetic and hormonal factors as well as childhood adversity.
However, the researchers conclude that "the findings underscore the potential effectiveness of interventions aimed at promoting psychological resilience in order to mitigate mortality risks."
