Older people have better self-images and are less judgmental about themselves
"In other words, we tend to judge ourselves less harshly, like ourselves better, and see our flaws as a good deal less tragic than they seemed in painful youth. 'In middle age,' as the writer Pete Hamill once put it, 'you tend to forgive yourself.''I think we get enough positive changes with age, especially wisdom, that the psychological outlook can actually be better than in middle age.'
"On the bad news side are certain detrimental changes in the lungs, they don't expand as well, so that a deep breath isn't as deep in old age as it was in youth. The kidneys' ability to filter waste out of the bloodstream decreases by as much as 50 percent between the ages of thirty and eighty.
With aging comes fewer allergies and reduced sweating
"But
like everything else we've talked about so far, there are
compensations. For example, people become somewhat less sensitive to
pain as they get older. They sweat less (sweat glands tend to dry up),
sneeze less (fewer allergic reactions as the immune system slows down),
and have fewer nightmares (no one knows why).
"Taste sensitivity
remains relatively constant, while the skin is more resistant to insults
from harsh chemicals and other irritants. Even the course of the day
often improves for older people: since they need about two hours less
sleep, the day is two hours longer, giving them extra time to exercise,
socialize with friends and family, or even use their lives creatively." "[T]hat while in many ways aging does mean slowdown and decline,
in other and in some cases equally important ways, getting older
actually does mean getting better. And the way to start this battle
against aging is to have an optimistic and enthusiastic attitude.
"If
we know that the second half of our lives can be a time of active good
health, contentment, and genuine achievement, then the battle is already
partially won."
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