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✨ It's Never Too Late to Reinvent Yourself. This is the theme of Healthy Aging® Month 2025. And research shows why it matters.
People thriving in their later years do more than maintain health. They embrace growth, transformation, and the joy of aging.
This idea resonated with me while watching one of those fun street interviews posted by YouTuber Ande Lyons. During the interview, a stylish, no-nonsense older New Yorker was asked to share a life-changing experience.
Her story is about a chance encounter with a cardiologist who flipped every aging stereotype on its head:
“Everybody around you is going to tell you, ‘Take it easy. Take it easy,’ he tells her. “Don’t take it easy, the older you get. Take it hard. Take it hard, and harder!…If you listen to me, you are going to have a very good old age.”
It reflects a willingness to:
Step outside expectations 🎭
Challenge yourself 🏋️♀️
Aging can be an invitation to grow. To be open to transforming and evolving your identity, potentially into someone who does take things harder. And research shows it supports a longer life.
Poll
Identity, reinvention, and the neuroscience of "Who am I?”
Who am I? That’s identity – your sense of self.
Are you someone who: 🎨 Creates art or clocks hours? 🌙 Enjoys quiet nights or lively gatherings? 🥗 Eats healthy and exercises? ✈️ Prefers familiarity or travels?
→ What characteristic(s) do you most identify with? Share with the Livelong community to find other like-minded, longevity-focused connections.
Identity guides behaviors. These choices become the habits that shape your biology. 🧬
“Identity-based intentions translate into identity-congruent behavior,” write authors in a paper in Sports Medicine.
For example, adults who identify with active social groups are more likely to surround themselves with other active people. They are more inclined to do physical activity, reducing their risk of heart disease, certain cancers, anxiety, and death.
This sense of self reinforces healthy behaviors.
While your identity evolves throughout a lifetime, it’s not always for the better – especially as we age.
Kristi Pikiewicz, PhD, explains in Psychology Today: 🧠 “The schizoid becomes more isolated, the obsessive more exacting, the hysteric more preoccupied with their bodies, the depressed more gloomy, the paranoid more fearful.”
In other words, aging can exaggerate the negative patterns that have been shaped by our identity. The impact on our health can be even greater.
When body and identity clash
🫣 Identity crises aren’t just for teenagers.
Aging can trigger one because self-perception doesn’t match what you see in the mirror. This can feel like a threat to your identity, and ageist stereotypes don’t help.
📊 A striking 82% of older adults report ageism. In surveys, this includes being seen as helpless, undesirable, lonely, or incapable. These stereotypes are shaped as early as preschool.
This likely means that, from a young age, you’ve unwittingly learned to stereotype yourself!
Stereotypes are more than beliefs.
They can create worse health outcomes and dissonance between who you are and who you want to be.
Studies show that how old people feel (their subjective age) often matters more than their actual chronological age.
People who feel older than their peers tend to have stronger desires to recapture youth.
They are likely to develop a negative view of aging, which has been linked to inflammation, depression, purposelessness, worse life satisfaction, and a shorter lifespan. ⏳
Developing a new, more empowering identity can be life-changing. 🔄✨ That is easier said than done.
Humans are hardwired to resist change
Change is great for the brain because it enhances neuroplasticity. But your brain also sees change as a threat, which can trigger anxiety, writes Entrepreneur magazine. 🧠
And let's face it. Change is hard!
Learning new things fires our prefrontal cortex.
It demands more energy and attention, but our bodies were built to conserve energy. 🔋
Many identity-forming habits, beliefs, and values are also decades in the making (and often tied to self-worth), which can make the idea of change feel jarring, or scary.
As Dr. Pikiewicz describes it, there’s a need to “mourn the loss of the familiar self.”
Just the same, change can be good. 🚫
Staying rooted in an unhelpful identity that limits physical health, social wellness, and resilience to stress can have lasting effects on health and lifespan, while maintaining mental flexibility and challenges can:
Strengthen connections and keep the brain agile.
Help us better adapt to stress and agin
As the New Yorker tells us: “To do nothing is the most dangerous thing you can do.”
Three practical ways to reinvent yourself
🌍 Get grounded in your purpose:
Purpose is one of the strongest predictors of longevity. It strengthens psychological well-being, boosts resilience, and promotes healthier relationships.
Healthyaging.net suggests starting a ‘what’s next’ journal to reflect on purpose and create motivation for the future.
🚪 Look beyond social expectations:
Overcoming unproductive societal/personal expectations can open the door for new experiences, opportunities, healthy habits, and challenges.
Those who actively reject negative messages about aging are happier, according to social scientists.
Surrounding yourself with people younger than you, and other adults who feel young, can boost mental well-being and physical fitness.
Seek a new social identity: join active communities that support healthy, positive aging.
😀 Embrace aging:
People have a 43% lower risk of dying from any cause if they have a very positive attitude toward growing old, according to 2022 research.
During the study, those who embrace aging demonstrated:
Less loneliness and depression
More positive optimistic outlook on life
Stronger sense of purpose
Increased sociability and wellness measures
Key takeaway
Habits, beliefs, and changing bodies can impact our sense of self, but identity can evolve. Science shows you can guide this evolution toward growth, joy, and healthy aging.
As the New Yorker puts it: “When you climb the stairs, climb them two at a time!” 🪜💪
Why not become the person who does?
📌 This Week
Coming Soon: The Livelong Woman ✨
We’re thrilled to introduce The Livelong Woman, an upcoming newsletter dedicated to women’s health and longevity.
Led by Editorial Director Rachel Lehmann-Haupt and writer Tiffany Nieslanik, The Livelong Women brings the science, strategies, and stories in women’s health and longevity. As part of the Livelong community, you’ll automatically start receiving it when we launch. 🚀
Podcasts we’re loving 🗣️
Did you know all of our podcasts are on Youtube, Spotify and Apple? Check out any one of our platforms for though-provoking conversations with the brightest in longevity.
The Millennial caregiver: Know these resources if you are caring for a loved one with dementia. Watch the episode
Telomeres. The secret to keeping cells young. Watch the episode
Thanks for reading!
💌 Until next time. Keep climbing higher.
About the author: Erin is the Senior Editor at Livelong Media, where she explores the intersection of health, science, and the human experience.
The information provided about wellness and health is for general informational and educational purposes only. We are not licensed medical professionals, and the content here should not be considered medical advice. Talk to a doctor before trying any of these suggestions.
Longevity Media LLC
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