Mindfulness and the perception of aging.

Research on mindfulness has explored its potential not only to improve well-being in the present.

But also to influence the perception and markers of the aging process.

One notable study in this area investigated whether adopting an environment and mindset corresponding to an earlier era could reverse or mitigate some signs of aging.

The "Temporal Regression" Study

In a groundbreaking experiment, a group of men between the ages of 75 and 80 were recruited and moved for a week to a resort specially set up to recreate the atmosphere of 1959.

That is, approximately 20 years before the date on which the study was conducted.

They were asked not to bring with them any objects or materials (books, magazines) that were more recent than that year.

The environment was meticulously designed to evoke that era: the newspapers, magazines available, radio and television programs, movies, and sporting events being shown or discussed were all from 1959.

Two Intervention Groups

Participants were divided into two groups. Both were told that they believed that staying at the resort would have a positive impact on their lives.

The control group was asked to discuss and recall the year 1959 using the past tense. That is, as a reminiscence exercise.

The experimental group, on the other hand, was instructed to act and live "as if" they really were in 1959, embodying the person they were at that time.

They were encouraged to speak in the present tense about the events of 1959 and to behave as they would have two decades earlier.

Amazing Results

Before, during and after the stay, various measurements and video recordings were taken of the participants, assessing aspects such as physical strength, vision, hearing and cognitive abilities. Photographs were also taken.

The results were striking. The experimental group, the one that actively lived as if they were in 1959, showed remarkable improvements in vision, hearing and cognitive ability.

Their blood pressure decreased, they moved with greater agility and had a more upright posture.

Even the control group, which only reminisced about the past, experienced some benefits, such as improved physical appearance and improved sleeping and eating patterns.

This study suggests that mindfulness, understood here as a conscious immersion in a state of mind and environment that evokes youth and vitality, may have measurable positive effects on markers associated with aging, highlighting the power of mind and perception on physical well-being.