Science & Health, Times They Are A-Changing

Creativity may be key to healthy aging. Here’s how to stay inspired. – The Washington Post

By Matt Fuchs, July 12, 2021 | Updated yesterday at 2:29 p.m. EDT

Singer Andy Steinfeldt explains his handstand push-up technique to a group of fifth-graders at Groveland Elementary School in Minnetonka, Minn. Steinfeldt keeps his creativity flowing through travel, exercise and motivational speaking about his resilience after prostate cancer. (Grace Mevissen)

If you’re interested in staying healthy as you age — and living longer — you might want to add a different set of muscles to your workout routine: your creative ones.

Ongoing research suggests that creativity may be key to healthy aging.

Studies show that participating in activities such as singing, theater performance and visual artistry could support the well-being of older adults, and that creativity, which is related to the personality trait of openness, can lead to greater longevity. When researchers talk about creativity, they aren’t limiting it to the arts.

Author and Georgetown University psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal defines being creative as “having the ability to make unexpected connections, either to see commonplace things in new ways — or unusual things that escape the attention of others — and realize their importance.”

Source: Creativity may be key to healthy aging. Here’s how to stay inspired. – The Washington Post