We become happier as we go through life

Many people find aging cruel because all physical and mental functions deteriorate continuously. However, aging researcher Sven Voelpel says: We can actively influence what we are capable of and how old we feel. Currently, life expectancy increases by about 2.5 years per decade. Each new generation lives on average 7.5 years longer than the previous one. Consequently, in the coming decades, the "old-age quotient," which is the ratio of people over 65 to the population of working age, is likely to increase. While today about three working individuals finance one retiree, by 2050 it is predicted that only two will be able to do so. Deutschlandradio Kultur: Many dread growing older. They associate it with significant losses in their lives, more risks than opportunities. But is it really so? And what does it mean for a society when the number of older people continues to rise? Today, I am speaking with Professor Sven Voelpel from Jacobs University in Bremen. He is a trained business economist and aging researcher. His book "Decide for Yourself How Old You Are" made it to the Spiegel bestseller list. Good day, Mr. Voelpel. Sven Voelpel: Good day, Mr. Ostermann. Deutschlandradio Kultur: When reading your book, one gets the impression that many, if not all, things are influenceable. Our attitudes determine how old we feel. But are you neglecting genetic predispositions? Sven Voelpel: Genetic predispositions were previously valued much higher than they are today. It was once assumed that the majority was genetically predetermined, but research has shown that more and more is actually influenceable. Nowadays, it is believed that only about 10 to 30 percent is genetically determined, and the rest is influenced by our behaviors. "It doesn't matter how old I am" Deutschlandradio Kultur: Already at 40, many are on the decline, sad as it may be. Kidney function or lung capacity decreases. Even the brain becomes less sharp. So, there are certain signs of aging that we cannot avoid, even you. Sven Voelpel: It is indeed true. I am also on the decline. I am already over 40. That means that all functions, such as kidney function, cardiovascular function, muscle strength, and lung capacity, actually decline. However, one can strongly influence how much they decline. Let's take hand strength as an example. Hand grip measurements can be taken, and it can be seen that someone around their mid-30s has the strongest hand grip. It means they can grip the hardest at that age. Then it declines, and after 40, it declines even more. But if you look at the individual points of how this curve is formed, you realize that, for example, a 24-year-old can only press around 18 kilos. However, there are indeed over 60-year-olds who can press over 50 kilos. So, it really doesn't matter how old I am. That's why I always say: Age is abolished because what really matters is how well can I breathe, how strong can I grip, how fast can I react, it is really individual and completely influenceable. Deutschlandradio Kultur: Nevertheless: Hearing, brain, strength, and flexibility decline with age. Memory worsens, as you quickly notice when learning vocabulary. And also, processing speed decreases. – It seems to me like an inevitable process that can only be slowed down, but of course not stopped. Sven Voelpel: It is a bit more nuanced. Some processes are indeed difficult to stop. Especially biological aging. You can see it in the skin, for example, in skin cells. But many things can be influenced, such as muscle strength. When you grip something, your muscle relaxes. 48 hours later, it compensates. That means it grows, and the muscle becomes stronger. Even my father, who started going to the gym in his 60s, always sends me his reports and told me that he actually increased his muscle strength by over 100 percent in the first six months. So, it really doesn't matter how old we are. We can actually always gain and be younger at any age than we were when we were younger. "Aging is also a matter of attitude" Deutschlandradio Kultur: How do we age? What is the connection between mental, physical, and emotional factors? Sven Voelpel: The connection is significant. There are many different theories about aging. The most popular one is that cells divide every time. And with each cell division, there are damages to the DNA, and individual telomeres, for example, become frayed. And this cell division, which is damaged, continues. We call this biological aging. This can indeed be significantly slowed down by certain mechanisms: through nutrition, exercise, but also through mindsets. Just having a positive attitude towards aging, for example, can make us live 7.5 years longer or feel 7.5 years younger. Deutschlandradio Kultur: And is this trainable by everyone? So, can anyone following your theory implement this? Sven Voelpel: The positive attitude? Deutschlandradio Kultur: Yes. Sven Voelpel: Yes, exactly, everyone can implement it. Deutschlandradio Kultur: We are all inevitably gaining more experience as we age. But what else can older individuals contribute to society? Sven Voelpel: One significant aspect is indeed experience. That is already a lot. And one might have to work nights as a young person until they realize it makes no sense. Older individuals tend to see things more calmly. And calmness is what one actually gains as they age. Calmness means emotional stability. It also includes experience, for example in leadership matters. Many leaders, many politicians are older because they need to recognize more complex connections that a younger person simply cannot see. The same goes for crystalline intelligence. It means the intelligence to recognize new things, peaks around the age of 55, but can still be extended even further, up to 60 or beyond. So, through knowledge, recognizing experience, and using it accordingly. And equally important alongside calmness – we don't have to do anything. Happiness increases. That means, over the course of life, we become happier, without needing to do anything. That is also a good message. After work and career, family becomes more important for many in old age, as scientist Sven Voelpel points out. (Image: picture alliance/dpa/Photo: Artyom Geodakyan) Deutschlandradio Kultur: However, you may not be saying this to individuals experiencing elderly poverty. That is, with this assessment, are you targeting a specific clientele or a certain social class? Sven Voelpel: There are certainly differentiations, but ultimately, regardless of the social class we belong to, we become happier as we age. Even if we come from a less fortunate background, we still become happier as we age. The reason is simply that when we are younger, we naturally want to achieve more and see everything we don't have. Whereas when we get older, we look back on life. And especially, negative things are often not noticed as much as positive things. That's how our brains are wired. Therefore, we tend to remember the positive things more, and this changes our perspective to a more positive one. "For each generation, we gain about eight years of life" Deutschlandradio Kultur: Mr. Voelpel, researchers now assume that humans can live up to 120 years. Under what conditions is this actually possible? Sven Voelpel: It is indeed the case that people have lived over 120 years. It is also believed that this is the natural limit, that people cannot get any older. It has been shown that with each generation, approximately eight years of life are gained. That means, we live eight years longer and are also biologically younger than our parents. The conditions are well researched in what are known as Blue Zones. These are areas or specific regions where people live exceptionally long lives. For example, in Okinawa, Japan. And this is due to a variety of factors. It includes diet, such as a plant-based diet, physical activity, a lot of movement. That means people over a hundred years old are still working in the fields to cultivate them. They do their morning exercises. Mild climate and social integration are also crucial factors. People in Okinawa dance weekly, sing in circles, and socialize. All of these aspects contribute to them staying younger. This is also the case in other Blue Zones, such as Sardinia, where people exhibit similar behaviors. Deutschlandradio Kultur: So, by staying younger, you mean we can age longer? Sven Voelpel: Exactly. We stay younger and age longer. But it should be noted that even in Okinawa, grandparents actually live longer than their children, even grandchildren, because they are now adopting Western culture, Western food, fast food, and are actually dying earlier. So, it is evident that it is not a genetic disposition but indeed behavioral. Deutschlandradio Kultur: