What Healthy Aging Really Means
Insights from older adults on what matters most as we age
.svg)
What does actually mean wholesome Get old? In the public Longevity debate, Healthy Aging often defined through measurement values, biomarkers, interventions and new technologies. A current qualitative study consciously chooses a different approach: She asks older people themselves what healthy aging means for them and how they experience it in everyday life.
The result is remarkably unspectacular. And this is precisely where its significance lies.
Healthy aging is not a target, but a process
The interviewees — all over 70 years of age and living independently — do not describe healthy aging as an ideal state to achieve. Rather, they speak of a continuous process that develops over the entire life span.
Medical factors are less important than everyday issues:
- Can one's own life continue to be shaped by oneself?
- Are there social relationships that support?
- Is there a sense of purpose, stability, and inner balance?
Health does not appear isolated here, but embedded in the realities of life.
Why attitude matters more than optimization
It is particularly noticeable how often inner attitudes are addressed. Acceptance, adaptability, confidence — skills that cannot be measured but are apparently decisive. Healthy aging is therefore seen less as an avoidance strategy and more as a competence to deal with change.
A quote from the study sums it up well:
“Healthy aging is not about avoiding all problems, but about feeling capable of dealing with them.”
This point of view runs counter to many current narratives about optimization and control — without fundamentally questioning them.
A quie ounterpoint to the longevity debate
The results are not in conflict with modern Longevity research. However, they are shifting focus. While current developments are measuring more and more precisely, this study reminds us that Quality of life cannot be fully quantified.
Exercise, sleep, diet, and prevention remain important. But they only develop their effect in conjunction with social, emotional and societal factors.
Why this is relevant
The study makes it clear:
Healthy aging is not a purely individual project — and not a purely medical project. It is the result of lifestyle, relationships, environment, and attitude over decades.
This is an important classification, especially at a time when healthy aging is often reduced to interventions, programs or products.
References
Magripi, Artemis and Roditi, Eleni and Zioga, Eleni and Provida, Foteini Despoina and Apostolidi, Theodora Paisia and Papathanasiou, Ioanna V. and Sourtzi, Panayota and Mallidou, Anastasia A., What does healthy aging mean? The experiences of older people living in the community in the Attica region, Greece. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5871042 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5871042
Publiziert
13.1.2026
Kategorie
Lifestyle
Experte
What does actually mean wholesome Get old? In the public Longevity debate, Healthy Aging often defined through measurement values, biomarkers, interventions and new technologies. A current qualitative study consciously chooses a different approach: She asks older people themselves what healthy aging means for them and how they experience it in everyday life.
The result is remarkably unspectacular. And this is precisely where its significance lies.
Healthy aging is not a target, but a process
The interviewees — all over 70 years of age and living independently — do not describe healthy aging as an ideal state to achieve. Rather, they speak of a continuous process that develops over the entire life span.
Medical factors are less important than everyday issues:
- Can one's own life continue to be shaped by oneself?
- Are there social relationships that support?
- Is there a sense of purpose, stability, and inner balance?
Health does not appear isolated here, but embedded in the realities of life.
Why attitude matters more than optimization
It is particularly noticeable how often inner attitudes are addressed. Acceptance, adaptability, confidence — skills that cannot be measured but are apparently decisive. Healthy aging is therefore seen less as an avoidance strategy and more as a competence to deal with change.
A quote from the study sums it up well:
“Healthy aging is not about avoiding all problems, but about feeling capable of dealing with them.”
This point of view runs counter to many current narratives about optimization and control — without fundamentally questioning them.
A quie ounterpoint to the longevity debate
The results are not in conflict with modern Longevity research. However, they are shifting focus. While current developments are measuring more and more precisely, this study reminds us that Quality of life cannot be fully quantified.
Exercise, sleep, diet, and prevention remain important. But they only develop their effect in conjunction with social, emotional and societal factors.
Why this is relevant
The study makes it clear:
Healthy aging is not a purely individual project — and not a purely medical project. It is the result of lifestyle, relationships, environment, and attitude over decades.
This is an important classification, especially at a time when healthy aging is often reduced to interventions, programs or products.
Referenzen
Magripi, Artemis and Roditi, Eleni and Zioga, Eleni and Provida, Foteini Despoina and Apostolidi, Theodora Paisia and Papathanasiou, Ioanna V. and Sourtzi, Panayota and Mallidou, Anastasia A., What does healthy aging mean? The experiences of older people living in the community in the Attica region, Greece. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5871042 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5871042
Publiziert
13.1.2026
Kategorie
Lifestyle
Follow us
