Half-Full or Half-Empty? Your Memory Depends on It

When you hit a wall backing out of the driveway, and smash up your whole car, do you think, now I can get a new car?  Or, how am I going to pay for it?

Half-full or half-empty.  How you see the world may affect your ability to hold on to your memories as you age.

According to a new study, a positive attitude predicts less memory decline, newswise.com reports.

"A new study published has found that people who feel enthusiastic and cheerful—what psychologists call 'positive affect'—are less likely to experience memory decline as they age. This result adds to a growing body of research on positive affect’s role in healthy aging," says the web site.

A team of researchers analyzed data from 991 middle-aged and older U.S. adults who participated in a national study conducted between 1995 and 1996, 2004 and 2006, and 2013 and 2014.

In each assessment, participants reported on a range of positive emotions they had experienced during the past 30 days. Seeing a cherry tree in bloom.  Passing a test.  Losing a pound.  In the final two assessments, participants also completed tests of memory performance. These tests consisted of recalling words immediately after their presentation and again 15 minutes later.

The researchers examined the association between positive affect and memory decline, accounting for age, gender, education, depression, negative affect, and extraversion.

“Our findings showed that memory declined with age,” newswise quotes Claudia Haase, an associate professor at Northwestern University and senior author on the paper. “However, individuals with higher levels of positive affect had a less steep memory decline over the course of almost a decade,” adds Emily Hittner, a PhD graduate of Northwestern University and the paper’s lead author.

So the next time you drop your beloved aunt's cake platter, and it shatters into a million pieces, are you going to think, oh no, I'll never get another one, or, I've really enjoyed it while I've had it.

Your memory will thank you.



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