Within a few years, one sixth of the world’s population will be over 60. How can we ensure that this growing group of older adults can remain independent and happy for as long as possible? According to ageing researcher Lotte Brinkhof and colleagues, being able to cope with new situations – for example due to physical decline or the loss of loved ones – helps people to experience ageing more positively.

‘As we age, the brain regions needed for flexible, goal-directed action may start to function less well,’ Brinkhof explains. ‘As a result, older adults rely relatively more on fixed habits and routines, and on the brain regions that maintain these. This can make it harder to adjust to new situations or goals.’

Smartly building on what the brain still does well

The self-help training they developed draws on the well-functioning brain regions that support habits. ‘This allows people to build new healthy behaviours step by step into existing daily routines, without it taking a lot of willpower,’ Brinkhof says. ‘We already knew that forming new habits helps to change behaviour in older adults, but we still lacked an approach that allows older people to get started independently and in an accessible way, with personal goals such as eating more fruit, reading, or walking more often.’

Setting goals and linking them to routines

The training consists of: 1) setting personal goals around healthy behaviour, 2) carrying them out and monitoring progress, and 3) linking them to existing routines. For this last part, participants learned to make concrete if–then plans, for example: If I have cleared away my breakfast, then I will go for a fifteen-minute walk. ‘This helps the brain creating connections between existing routines and newly desired behaviour,’ explains co-researcher Sanne de Wit. ‘That makes it easier to turn personal goals into real habits.’

Over a hundred participants tested the training

The training was tested with more than one hundred participants aged 65 and older. One group followed a shortened version: they only set new goals, carried them out, and tracked them. The other group also learned to link new desired behaviour to existing routines, and how to carefully evaluate and adjust these plans when needed.

Simply setting goals already has an effect

‘We found that both groups often carried out their new habits and that their mental well-being and quality of life improved,’ Brinkhof says. So simply taking part in a training that encourages people to consciously adopt new activities can already bring noticeable benefits for older adults.

Older adults who felt down benefited the most

The group that completed the full training benefitted even more: new behaviours were performed more regularly (at fixed moments during the day), and participants reported a stronger increase in quality of life. They also experienced less apathy and a greater sense of control over their lives. Strikingly, those who felt more depressed, listless, or lonely beforehand showed the greatest gains.

Towards a resilient old age

According to the researchers, the habit-focused components of the training are especially promising for helping people age more resiliently. ‘It is a low-threshold way to strengthen mental resilience, particularly for older adults with more vulnerable mental health or who struggle to maintain good habits,’ De Wit concludes.

‘We hope to give people practical tools to steer their own behaviour,’ Brinkhof adds. ‘Those who learn how to strategically form new habits will be better able to cope with change.’

Article details

Lotte P. Brinkhof, K. Richard Ridderinkhof, Jaap M.J. Murre, Harm J. Krugers & Sanne de Wit (2025). ‘Boosting Behavioral Adaptability to Enhance Older Adults’ Mental Health/Well-being and Quality of Life Using a Habit-Based Metacognitive Self-Help Intervention.’ BMC Psychology (2025).