4 aging myths you shouldn't believe

You've probably heard one (or all) of these myths at some point, but with the advance of medical science we now know that none of them are true. Here are four aging myths that you shouldn't believe.

In a major review of sexuality and aging, it should be noted that contrary to many of our cultural and societal views of the aging individual, our aging population continues to enjoy their sexuality.

• The key is keeping yourself in shape. Impotence and reduced libido aren't related to age but to medical conditions that can, in most instances, be prevented, like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Something as simple as lifting weights a couple times a week can improve your sex life.
• Here's the other thing: Sex doesn't only mean intercourse. A recent study interviewed 166 people age 60 and older who lived in independent-living facilities, and found that about 60 percent had had regular physical and sexual experiences in the past year such as kissing, touching and holding hands, and hugging. However, all wanted more — and the main thing preventing them from having more was the lack of a partner.
• And yes, while sexual desire might ebb a bit as you age, that decline typically doesn't occur until age 75. Even then, it's usually related to whether you have a partner you're interested in, and how interested you were in sex most of your life.

When this developmental myth was overturned in the 1990s, it created a seismic shift in the way researchers viewed aging. No longer could they look at the older brain as a static thing.

• Instead, studies show, your brain continues to send out new connections and to strengthen existing connections throughout your life — as long as you continue to challenge it. It really is the ultimate muscle in your body.

This myth began with studies in 2002 showing that the hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls memory, was significantly smaller in older people than in younger people.

• However groundbreaking research in the late 1990s showed that chronic stress shrinks the hippocampus. Was it age or stress that was responsible for the shrinking brains of older people? Probably stress.
• A recent study examined brain scans of 177 people ages 18 to 85, and found that 25 percent of the 18- to 24-year-olds had hippocampus volumes as small as those of adults ages 60 to 75.
• This means that maybe the smaller hippocampus in the older person was already there when they were younger; possibly as a result of stress. In fact, additional research has found that people born during the world wars have smaller hippocampuses than those born between the two wars, likely because those born during the wars were exposed to so much stress early in life.

Not quite. When researchers from Heidelberg, Germany, interviewed 40 centenarians, they found that despite significant physical and mental problems, including the fact that 55 percent needed nursing care at least three times a day, 71 percent said they were happy, and more than half said they were as happy as they'd been at younger ages.

• Plus, when the researchers compared these 100-plus-year-olds to a group of middle-age people, they found that both groups were just as happy.
• Most important: Nearly 70 percent of the centenarians said they laughed often.

What does it all mean? It means there is no universal definition of aging. How you'll age is entirely up to you — and the time to begin writing that definition is today.