Trust Prue to tell it like it is. The 86-year-old cook, restauranteur and TV presenter has been doing the rounds of literary festivals in recent months, dropping some home truths along the way.
First came Stratford Literary Festival, where she told the assembled audience that the great thing about getting old is that ‘you can say what you like, do what you like’.
Younger people have good reason to care about others’ opinions, she explained, since careers and relationships can depend on them. Old age, on the other hand, brings a brilliant form of freedom.
Last month, she doubled down on this sentiment, telling BBC Radio Gloucestershire: ‘When you’re old, you don’t give a toss what anyone thinks.’ That mindset, she later explained at Henley Literary Festival, opens you up to new experiences: ‘If there’s nothing wrong with you, for God’s sake, enjoy it. You haven’t got all that much time left. You need to grab it.’
Taking her own advice, Prue Leith regularly walks for Vin + Omi during London Fashion Week. This year she was joined by Alison Hammond for the designer’s Anarchy show.
When you’re not worried about embarrassing yourself or others, you suddenly find yourself able to join that choir and sing up, for instance. ‘This is such a cliché to say it, but I really believe this, that you have to, if your mind stays open to new experiences and enjoyment, and just does it, there’s far more likelihood of you being happy,’ said Prue.
So, is saying what you like and doing what you like the secret to a happy and healthy retirement?
The supporting science
Well, perhaps. There’s growing scientific evidence to support Prue’s positive attitude towards ageing.
Back in 2014, researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas conducted the Synapse Project, a scientific study investigating whether learning challenging new skills in later life could improve memory and cognitive function.
A total of 221 adults, with an average age of around 72, were randomly assigned to different activities.
Some learned demanding new skills, including digital photography and quilting. Others participated in social activities or less mentally demanding tasks, like listening to music and doing simple puzzles.
After just three months, researchers found that the people learning challenging new skills showed significant improvements in episodic memory, which is our ability to remember events and experiences.
The power of self-belief
It’s not just learning a new skill, however. Believing in your ability to do so counts, too. In a 2023 study, researchers at the University of California found that older adults who believed their abilities could improve through learning tended to make greater cognitive gains during a three-month programme involving activities such as photography, drawing and learning Spanish.
The benefits for happiness
The benefits of remaining open to new possibilities may extend beyond keeping our brains active – it can make us happier, too.
A major 2024 study involving more than 11,500 older adults found that developing more positive attitudes towards ageing was associated with a greater sense of purpose, which in turn was linked to higher life satisfaction.
Of course, you can't just think your way to a happier or healthier old age, but the research really does suggests that continuing to challenge ourselves and see opportunities for growth really does make later life more fulfilling.
The 5-point Prue plan (or how to have a growth mindset in retirement)
- Become a beginner (again). Sign up for something you’ve never tried, whether that’s pottery, Italian or playing an instrument.
- Replace ‘I’m too old’ with ‘I haven’t tried yet’. Before you rule something out because of your age, stop to question whether that assumption is really true.
- Choose something that challenges you. The Synapse Project suggests that sustained, demanding learning can offer cognitive benefits.
- Embrace mistakes. Approach new activities as experiments, not projects you need to get right.
- Keep a ‘still to do’ list. Write down three experiences you’d still like to have, and add more every time you cross something off the list.