Feel young at heart and you'll enjoy a longer life(2)

The authors say more research is needed on the topic, but suggest it could be that those who feel "young at heart" have healthier behaviors and more resilience, giving them a stronger will to live. "Self-perceived age has the potential to change, so interventions may be possible. Individuals who feel older than their actual age could be targeted with health messages promoting positive health behaviors and attitudes toward aging," the authors write in the study.

作者称,还需要做更多的研究来论证这个话题,但也同时表示那些心态年轻的人有更健康的行为习惯及更好的抗打击力,使得他们有更加强大的生存意志.作者在该项研究中写道："自我感知年龄的状况将会改变,使得实施预防措施变得可能.那些觉得自己比实际年龄大的人可以通过健康暗示来增强其对于衰老的积极行为和态度."

The good news is, youcanchange your perception of howyoungyou are. And other studies suggest that there could be more benefits to thinking yourself younger, besides a longer life. One recent study found that helping participants have positive feelings toward age, by showing them positive word associations, helped older adults improve in physical tasks like balancing and getting up out of a chair, in as little as four weeks. A 2013 study found that negative stereotypes of aging and poor memory can make older adults feel up to five years older, regardless of their actual mental abilities.

好消息是,你可以改变自己对年纪的认知.其他的研究也表明,心态年轻除了能延长寿命外,还益处多多.最近有研究发现,通过对老年人讲积极鼓舞的话,帮助他们对年龄保持乐观的心态的方式,能在短短四周内,提高老年人的身体机能：如平衡能力,从椅子上站起来的能力.2013年的一项研究发现,不论他们的实际心理能力如何,对衰老的消极刻板印象和记忆力衰退会使老年人感到自己比实际年龄老五岁.

There you have it. Age really should be treated as just a number.

现在你明白了,年龄真的应该仅仅被看成一个数字.