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Most people aren't happy with the way they age. However, new research reveals that feeling comfortable boosts health in people over 50.

Researchers found that older adults who feel comfortable about aging are significantly more likely to seek preventative health care services.

These findings are important because some seniors feel like they don't need to see their doctor because they think that it is normal to experience physical and mental declines in old age.  This is worrying because many older adults are less likely to seek health screenings because they feel that deteriorating is a normal part of aging.

Living a healthy lifestyle benefits everyone. Previous studies reveal that some older adults can become healthier in old age, depending on how they live their life.

Researchers said the findings suggest that confidence in the aging process boosts the feeling of being useful and processing energy, which increases the likelihood of going to health screenings.

The latest study involved 6,177 participants from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 50. Participants were asked to fill out questionnaires about their use of preventive health services.

The findings revealed that people who reported higher satisfaction with aging were more likely to undergo cholesterol tests and colonoscopies.  Confident women were significantly more likely to undergo mammograms/X-rays or Pap smears, according to the study. Confident men were significantly more likely to undergo prostate exams. Researchers said the findings held true even after accounting for confounding factors.

The findings are published in the journal Preventive Medicine.