Adopting a handful of positive daily habits could effectively turn back the clock on your brain by as much as eight years, according to groundbreaking new scientific research. A study led by the University of Florida has identified key psychological and lifestyle factors strongly linked to a younger-appearing brain on advanced scans.
The Science Behind a Younger Brain
Scientists tracked 128 adults in midlife and older age from four continents over a two-year period. The majority of participants, nearly 70 per cent, were women, and most were living with chronic pain related to knee osteoarthritis or were at risk of developing it. Using sophisticated MRI scans combined with machine learning algorithms, the research team estimated each person's 'brain age' and compared it with their chronological age.
The results were striking. Participants who reported the healthiest mix of factors—including optimism, sufficient deep sleep, effective stress management, and robust social support—had brains that appeared up to eight years younger than their actual age would predict. Conversely, the study found that several hardships were associated with an older-looking brain. These included chronic pain, lower income, lower educational attainment, and social disadvantage.
Lasting Benefits of Positive Choices
Importantly, the research uncovered a crucial difference in how positive and negative factors influence the brain over time. While the detrimental impact of hardship on brain ageing appeared to weaken over the study period, the beneficial effects of positive lifestyle factors were both stronger and more long-lasting.
'The message is consistent across our studies,' said lead researcher Kimberly Sibille, an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Florida. 'Health-promoting behaviours are not only associated with lower pain and better physical functioning. They appear to actually bolster health in an additive fashion at a meaningful level.'
The study, published in the journal Brain Communications, adds to a growing body of evidence that mental wellbeing and conscious lifestyle choices play a critical role in maintaining brain health. This holds true even for individuals managing chronic pain or other long-term health conditions. Other behaviours linked to healthier brain ageing in the research included avoiding smoking and maintaining a healthy body weight.
Personality's Role in Longevity
These findings coincide with separate research suggesting that our fundamental personality traits may significantly influence how long we live. A large-scale analysis led by the University of Limerick, examining data from more than half a million people across nearly six million person-years, investigated the link between personality and mortality risk. During the study, 43,851 participants died.
The team focused on the 'Big Five' personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. They discovered that people with higher levels of neuroticism—often characterised by anxiety and emotional instability—had a three per cent higher risk of dying earlier.
In contrast, higher conscientiousness—traits like being organised, disciplined, and dependable—was linked to a ten per cent lower risk of death. Extraversion, reflecting sociability, was associated with a three per cent lower mortality risk, with this effect particularly pronounced in the United States and Australia. No clear link was found between mortality and either openness or agreeableness.
'Our work shows that how we think, feel and behave is not only linked to life satisfaction and social relationships, but also to how long we live,' explained Dr Máire McGeehan of the University of Limerick, who led the study. Senior author Dr Páraic S Ó Súilleabháin added: 'Personality is a critical driver of health and longevity, with effects similar in size to commonly recognised public health factors such as socio-economic status.' This research was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Together, these studies paint a compelling picture: our daily habits, social connections, and even our inherent personality traits are powerful tools we can leverage to protect our brain health and potentially extend our lives.
