The counter-action to me is seeking out and sitting in discomfort. Imho, the root cause of the observed behavior is that everyone prefers comfort over discomfo

The counter-action to me is seeking out and sitting in discomfort. Imho, the root cause of the observed behavior is that everyone prefers comfort over discomfort (physically, mentally, spiritually, etc.), and old people typically have the resources (time, money, etc.) to keep themselves in a comfortable state if they choose. Unfortunately, comfort also means stasis. Which is fine as long as the world doesn't change outside that bubble... but it eventually always does.