Our prejudice about ageing impacts our health

Reading How overcoming negative attitudes to ageing can make you live longer, New Scientist, 15 May 2024.

Negative thoughts of ageing impact health in three ways:

• Psychology: "Once internalised, old-age stereotyping ends up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, shaping our thoughts about what we are capable of doing and what we see as the inevitable outcomes of reaching our later years.”
• Physiology: "being exposed to negative age stereotypes, even subliminally, increases people’s blood pressure and heart rate. When this happens again and again, your health can be seriously harmed.”
• Behaviour: “Those who take in more positive age beliefs tend to engage in more beneficial health behaviours, like being physically active and taking prescribed medications.”

The take-away is to be aware:

 Levy also says that recognising and understanding our prejudices is key to dismantling them. “If you aren’t aware that these negative age stereotypes are having an impact, it’s hard to fight them, it’s hard to challenge them and prevent their impact.” In her book, Breaking the Age Code, she lists common beliefs about old age – including that older people can’t use or invent new technology, that they should avoid exercise because they are frail, that they don’t have sex – and then counters each myth with the facts. [Links added by me] 

I also learned there’s a US National Center to Reframe Aging initiative.