Some women in their eighties and nineties retain memory and thinking abilities that rival people decades younger, a phenomenon researchers call SuperAging. A new cross-sectional study published in the European Journal of Ageing examined which lifelong leisure activities might distinguish these cognitive outliers from their peers, focusing exclusively on women who were physically active during midlife.
The study included 225 women aged 80 to 96 who had met World Health Organization adult physical activity guidelines during midlife, defined as ages 30 to 60, meaning at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, or an equivalent combination. SuperAgers were classified according to the cognitive performance criteria of the Northwestern University SuperAging Program. Of the participants, 58, or 25.9 percent, met the SuperAger definition.
Engagement in past and current leisure activities was self-reported, and the researchers analysed the data using group comparisons, regression analyses and Bayesian mixed models. Overall, SuperAgers and non-SuperAgers reported similar levels of engagement in most leisure activities, suggesting that broad activity participation alone did not set the exceptional performers apart.
One midlife difference did emerge. SuperAgers reported more flexibility and mind-body exercises, such as yoga, stretching or Tai Chi, during midlife than non-SuperAgers, with a mean of 0.74 versus 0.55. This difference was not statistically significant on its own, with p equal to 0.069 and an effect size of d equal to 0.30, but after adjustment for age and education the association reached statistical significance, with a coefficient of -0.21 and a 95 percent confidence interval from -0.40 to -0.02, p equal to 0.033.
Current cognitive activity also differed between the groups. SuperAgers participated in more types of current cognitive activities than non-SuperAgers, averaging 3.9 versus 3.5 activity types, a difference that was statistically significant with p equal to 0.015 and an effect size of d equal to 0.35. The authors note that these effect sizes were low to moderate, so the differences, while detectable, are modest in magnitude.
Within the sample, the researchers observed that physical activity declined with aging while mental activity increased, and this pattern held regardless of SuperAger status. This suggests the shift from physical toward mental engagement over late life is a general feature of this cohort of physically active women rather than a signature of exceptional cognition.
The study’s design carries important limitations. Because it is cross-sectional, participants reported past activities retrospectively, and causality cannot be inferred from the findings. It remains possible that women who later became SuperAgers differed in other ways, such as underlying health or socioeconomic factors, that influenced both their midlife activity choices and their late-life cognition. The sample was also limited to women who were physically active in midlife, so the results cannot be generalised to men or to less active populations.
Nevertheless, the authors conclude that consistent long-term engagement in flexibility and mind-body exercises, as well as participation in a diverse range of cognitive activities, may be associated with SuperAging.
The article was published on 9 September 2026 as an open-access research paper, and the version shared is subject to further editorial edits before the final Version of Record.
Subject of Research: Lifelong leisure activities and SuperAging among physically active women
Article Title: Exploring the role of leisure activities from midlife to late life in SuperAging among physically active women
Article References: Senkova Schneiderova, M., Mana, J., Lukavsky, J., Dadova, K., Trnka, R., Ticha, Z., Vojtechova, I., Martin, J., & Georgi, H. (2026). Exploring the role of leisure activities from midlife to late life in SuperAging among physically active women. European Journal of Ageing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-026-00949-2
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s10433-026-00949-2
Keywords: SuperAging, cognitive ageing, leisure activities, yoga, Tai Chi, stretching, physical activity, midlife, older women, cross-sectional study, European Journal of Ageing, Exploring
News Source: Beatrice Stafford. (October 28, 2026). Yoga and stretching in midlife linked to SuperAging in physically active women. Scienmag.
