Leggo su BBC News un interessante articolo: Can you trick your ageing body into feeling younger. Si tratta di un curioso esperimento, atto a dimostrare quanto la percezione e il modo di vita influisca sulla capacità del corpo umano a sentirsi giovane (o vecchio!).
L’esperimento consiste nel riunire un gruppo di settantenni/ottantenni in un ambiente che ricordi gli anni 70 (ovvero quando i soggetti avevano 30/40 anni) e obbligarli a vestirsi come negli anni 70, guardare la televisione di quegli anni, parlare di quegli anni al verbo presente.
L’articolo è veramente molto interessante e vi riporto due passi che mi hanno particolarmente incuriosito; il mio consiglio, ovviamente, è quello di leggersi l’articolo per intero: Can you trick your ageing body into feeling younger.
From the beginning we made it clear to our volunteers that they would be expected to look after themselves. Research in nursing homes shows clearly that giving residents control over their own lives and their own choices has a hugely beneficial impact on health and happiness.
In one study, residents who were allowed to choose a plant to care for, and when and where to receive visitors, were found 18 months later to be significantly more cheerful, active and alert. They were also far more likely to be still alive.
Another thing about our 1970s house was that it was full of physical challenges. There were shag pile carpets to trip over, door ridges to step over and lots of slippery linoleum. Research on mice has shown that those who live in a challenging environment live nearly 30% longer than those who in a secure but boring environment.