97-year-old Dick Van Dyke shares his 3 big secrets to remaining youthful
The “Mary Poppins” star is ageless.

Dick Van Dyke speaking at the 2017 Phoenix Comicon at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona
Comedian, actor, singer, dancer and all-around entertainer Dick Van Dyke has had a fantastic career in entertainment.
The 97-year-old has won Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and SAG awards and played iconic characters, including Rob Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and Bert in “Mary Poppins.”
Van Dyke captured the public’s attention earlier this month when it was revealed that he was the woodland gnome on “The Masked Singer,” where he performed “When You're Smiling," made famous by Frank Sinatra.
After the big reveal, judge Nicole Scherzinger broke into tears, saying, “I love you so much. We love you so much. The whole world loves you so much. I'm trying to, like, play it cool, but you look so gorgeous! You look so handsome!"
Van Dyke beamed with boyish delight on the stage, proving that even though he’s 97 years old, he still has a youthful spirit.
After his return to the spotlight, Yahoo Entertainment asked him for his secret to “staying so youthful.”
“Genes, I guess, for one thing. Having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me [Arlene Silver]—that works!” Van Dyke told Yahoo. “My positive attitude, I get that from my wife.”
Van Dyke met his wife at the SAG Awards in January 2007 when Silver worked as a makeup artist. The two became friends, Van Dyke hired her for gigs doing makeup and soon she was helping him out around the house.
The couple wed in February 2012. At the time, Silver was 40, and Van Dyke was 86. Silver helped Van Dyke set up a TikTok channel so that he could share his dance steps with the world.
The "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” star also stressed the importance of exercise in staying youthful.
“And one other thing is, I wrote a book called ‘Keep Moving’: I still go to the gym three days a week and work out,” Van Dyke continued. “And I advise everybody to do that, because that's what ages people—it's just a stiffening up and not exercising their muscles and their lungs. Exercise is the answer.”
Experts agree with Van Dyke when it comes to exercise and longevity. A study published by Harvard suggests that people who exercise more than the recommended amount can lower their risk of early death by “as much as 31%.”
@mrvandyke Keep Moving!!
“Our study provides evidence to guide individuals to choose the right amount and intensity of physical activity over their lifetime to maintain their overall health,” Dong Hoon Lee from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health wrote in the study.
Ultimately, it seems Van Dyke has hit the trifecta that keeps him spry at 97. He’s in love with his wife, has a song in his throat, and has a strong desire to keep moving. Van Dyke is a wonderful inspiration for anyone who wants to stay forever young and has shared some incredible life lessons on how to join him.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."