SuperAgers’ Extraordinary Memory And Their Social Relationships
Have you heard of the term SuperAgers, before? Well, if you haven’t, listen up, because you may want to be one of them.
There’s actually an entire SuperAging program at Northwestern University, where researchers study people over 80 that have an exceptional memory.
In a study published in October 2017, researchers compared 31 SuperAgers with 19 regular people, whose cognitive levels were average for their age-group. They wanted to pinpoint the psychological characteristics related to the SuperAgers’ phenomenal memories.
What do SuperAgers do Differently?
The researchers found that “SuperAgers endorsed greater levels of positive social relationships than their cognitively average-for-age peers.”
While the groups seemed to be pretty equal in regard to psychological wellbeing overall, such as autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life and self-acceptance, the SuperAgers perceived their positive social relationships to be of a higher-quality.
This doesn’t mean that they actually had better relationships, rather that they felt them to be better. It seems to be about the outlook.
What it Boils Down To
SuperAgers – people over 80, with exceptional memory capabilities for their age, are all about good social relationships (at least from their perspective). So, if you’d like to maintain an above-average memory it might be a good idea to invest in your social relationships.
Hey, in the worst case, you might just enjoy life a lot more.
What can you do to improve your social relationships today?
Please share in the comments below.