Take a minute to think about the mindset of the healthiest person you know. Usually, they are a positive, enthusiastic individual who loves to live their life.
New evidence suggests that this might not be by chance. Research indicates that the way that you perceive your life can have a massive impact on your health.
For some time now, we’ve known that people who live in active communities tend to live longer and get fewer diseases. The precise reasons for this phenomenon are not entirely clear, but it seems to have something to do with the stress-response system. When people have others around them, they feel loved and cherished. They have a reason to be healthy, and that translates into better overall wellbeing. Whether it is hormonal, or there is some other mechanism, is not entirely clear, but the effect is increasingly real.
It suggests that the way that we see the world can have a massive impact on our health. If we have a thriving community and plenty of productive relationships in our lives, then that translates into a more positive outlook on life. And that, in turn, leads to changes in our thinking which may help improve health.
The Scientific Evidence
According to a new study released in the journal Health Psychology, the way that people perceive their levels of physical activity is enough to affect outcomes. Incredibly, how much time people spend exercising didn’t seem to matter a great deal. What mattered was how much time they thought they spent running or jogging compared to their friends and family. The research suggested that doing the exercise was only partially responsible for the benefit. How participants thought about it mattered too.
Movements like Advaita Vedanta, have understood this effect for a long time. A lot of how we feel has to do with our perceptions of the world, not what is happening out there. The way we think of ourselves and our activities, therefore, can make a big difference.
This phenomenon might explain why it is often better for health to exercise along instead of part of a group. When you’re alone, you don’t feel the pressure to compare your performance to that of other people. Instead, you’re free to imagine your efforts in whatever way you like, redefining the terms in a way that best suits you.
Could It Extend Your Life?
The effects of mind over matter could extend further than you think. It turns out that you can literally “think” yourself younger. Experiments show that people who consider themselves to be younger than they are chronologically live longer and get fewer diseases. It is almost as if the brain can send signals to the rest of the body to remain youthful, even as the years continue to mount.
Mindset, therefore, may soon become a new frontier in the wellness field. Diet and exercise are, of course, important, but you may be able to amplify their effects by changing the way that you think. Suddenly, you have more control over your long-term health.
One Response
This is a very good insight! Mind over matter has always been talked about. I have seen many people live by this and some do not find this amusing. You are right, to feel good, you must have great relationships in the form of friendships, and family. As far as exercising is concerned, Working out with a friend is always great, it always keeps you on toes and you see better progress than working out alone.