The improvements were consistent across the study population, and were linked to the participants’ mindset about aging, according to a press release.<\/p>\n
Some 80-Year-olds Still Have Razor-sharp Brains \u2014 And Now Scientists Know Why<\/a><\/p>\n “In contrast to a predominant belief or stereotype that age is a time of continuous and inevitable decline, we found evidence that a meaningful number of older persons actually show improvement over 12 years in cognitive and\/or physical health<\/a>,” lead author Becca Levy, a professor of social and behavioral sciences at Yale, told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n The research, which was published in the journal Geriatrics, relied on data from the Health and Retirement Study, a federally supported, long-running survey of older Americans.<\/p>\n Read On The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n The results were consistent across the study population, rather than being limited to a small group of high performers.<\/p>\n (iStock)<\/p>\n Researchers tracked changes in cognition using global performance tests and measured physical function<\/a> based on walking speed, which was seen as a “vital sign” because of its strong links to disability, hospitalization and mortality.<\/p>\n Over a 12-year period, 45% of participants improved either mentally or physically. About 32% showed cognitive gains, while 28% improved physically, according to the study.<\/p>\n Doctor Shares 3 Simple Changes To Stay Healthy And Independent As You Age<\/a><\/p>\n “If you average everyone together, you see decline,” Levy said. “But when you look at individual trajectories, you uncover a very different story. A meaningful percentage of the older participants \u2026 got better.”<\/p>\n Test Yourself With Our Latest Lifestyle Quiz<\/a><\/p>\n A participant\u2019s beliefs about aging appeared to influence the results, as those with more positive age beliefs<\/a> were significantly more likely to show improvements in both cognition and walking speed.<\/p>\n Over a 12-year period, 45% of participants improved either mentally or physically, researchers found.<\/p>\n This remained true even after accounting for factors such as age, sex, education, chronic disease, depression and the length of follow-up. Improvements were seen even among participants who started with “normal” levels of function, not just those recovering from injuries or illness<\/a>.<\/p>\n Click Here To Download The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n “Individuals who have taken in more positive age beliefs … tend to have a lower stress response and lower stress biomarkers,” Levy said. Because age beliefs are modifiable, she noted, there could be a capacity for improvements later in life.<\/p>\n The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged. It didn\u2019t look at how muscles or brain cells change and adapt, which could help explain why people improved.<\/p>\n “Individuals who have taken in more positive age beliefs … tend to have a lower stress response and lower stress biomarkers,” the researcher said.<\/p>\n Future studies should examine improvement patterns for other types of cognition, such as spatial memory, they added.<\/p>\n Click Here For More Health Stories<\/a><\/p>\n “In addition, although our participants were drawn from a nationally representative sample, it would be useful to examine patterns of improvement in additional cohorts that have a greater representation of different ethnic minority groups,” the researchers noted in the study.<\/p>\n Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n The authors said they hope the findings will debunk the myth that continuous physical and cognitive decline is inevitable.<\/p>\n “We found evidence that there could be psychological pathways, behavioral pathways and physiological pathways [by which age beliefs impact health],” said Levy. “It\u2019s common, and it should be included in our understanding of the aging process<\/a>.”<\/p>\n![\"Carefree](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773475697_817_bbe8d348a7798b1587dca53bb74a9075.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Senior](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773475698_166_c0b60164dcdfcb60ef3e566937424a75.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773475698_92_35508626099acd3d59a3ac74a1aec4ed.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n