The French philosopher and writer Voltaire is thought to have once said, “I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.” Despite living in the 18th century, Voltaire was onto something relevant and recognized today: a focus on positive thinking not only will help with your mental outlook but will also have significant repercussions for your physical aging. Especially as we get older, when it might be easy to fall into despair or distress about the state of our lives, creating the conditions for a positive attitude is one more important piece of the puzzle to put you on the path toward healthier aging.

We’ve previously touched on the power of positive thinking, and how internalized ageist attitudes (which can often become self-fulfilling prophecies) can weigh us down and prevent us from pursuing a meaningful life in our later years. Certainly, while there are a lot of reasons to be fearful about growing older (fear of illness, fear of losses, fear of death, to name a few), we also know that general trends suggest that many if not most of us do not succumb to doomsday attitudes as we age. And experts advise that there are 2 essential paths toward sweeping away distress and opening yourself up for positive experiences. One is to engage yourself to the point of being busy and distracted; the other is to recognize that “mindsets are malleable:” that we can re-shape how we think about aging and eliminate the stress and psychological responses we experience from negative aging stereotypes by turning to positive thinking. As one expert advises, “Feeding yourself a rich diet of positive messages can itself brighten your outlook.”

With regard to filling your life with activities and experiences, experts recommend new learning experiences- even formal classes- to both engage your mind and biologically, to allow your brain to form new pathways to strengthen cognitive functioning. In fact, a recent post in MarketWatch about positive actions advises you to take the learning process one step further: enroll in a class or program with a friend, both to create a social activity and to allow you to help each other practice and build upon whatever you learn (yet another brain building activity!) And another positive benefit from taking a class? Creating the potential for interaction and meaningful relationships with younger people, which experts suggest will take you out of your comfort zone and relieve the pressure to “act your own age.” And speaking of your comfort zone, positive psychology experts say it’s valuable to push yourself toward “flow” which is described as the intersection between your current skills and what would be considered a challenge- essentially pushing yourself just beyond your limits, as a way to be positive and happy.

And what about changing your mindset, separate and apart from engaging in activities? In a recent essay in The Guardian, David Robson, author of the new book The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World, explores the power of positive thinking as a way to enable you to have a longer, healthier life. Robson recounts the mounting scientific evidence demonstrating that our thoughts can shape our aging as well as the length of our lives. As Robson states, “People who see the ageing process as a potential for personal growth tend to enjoy much better health into their 70s, 80s, and 90s than people who associate ageing with helplessness and decline, differences that are reflected in their cells’ biological ageing and their overall life span.” Robson even describes new research that links beliefs about aging with the development of Alzheimer’s. So before you give in to a negative attitude about the life you’re currently leading or the age you’re approaching, remember the words of Helen Keller: “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.”