March 14, 2022

Mind Over Matter: How Perceived Control Improves Our Health

Rick Lee
Time Read
3
mins

Study after clinical study reveals humans’ ever-present bias for self-control. I’m not referring to the self-control that overcomes an urge to eat a cookie. Rather, it’s the perception of influence over one’s life that can have a huge bearing on your health and longevity.  

For example, the results of this study revealed that levels of perceived control actually predict subsequent changes in health over time in old age. How can something so seemingly simple impact our health?

Researchers have concluded that “learned optimism” can make a life-altering impact. It comes down to one’s perception of control. So picture the inconveniences of life – e.g., a traffic jam, your Internet or TV connection malfunctioning, the toll-free number you are calling announcing a wait time in excess of an hour, or the grocery store being out of a critical ingredient for your Spaghetti Bolognese. When people react fatalistically to these events outside of their control, no matter how trivial they may seem, these perceived uncontrollable forces can literally:

  • Increase depression,
  • Catalyze a move toward abusive relationships,
  • Lead to drug dependence and even addiction,
  • Fail to preserve life during a heart attack, and
  • Engender a weakened immune system that opens the door to:
  •  Arthritis, ulcers, headaches, backaches, and asthma

Even in environments that are highly regulated like locked units in nursing homes, perceived freedom of choice can be life sustaining. Studies yield similar conclusions about cancer patients and the message they hear from their oncologist. Patients who hear something empowering like “Eat the right food and get plenty of sleep and you may live another x years,” tend to have better outcomes than those who hear “there’s nothing left we can do,” even if the stage of the disease is the same. 

So as you engage with Healthrageous, be sure to thoughtfully choose your meals for next week and exert your influence on what to watch on TV. Being in control of your life is a form of learned optimism that could add years to your longevity.

Click HERE to request information to activate your chronically ill Medicare seniors with the convenience of simple choices to eat nutritious, diabetic and cardiac-friendly meals.



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