Ageism results in more than hurt feelings or even discriminatory behavior.

It affects physical and cognitive health and well-being in measurable ways and can take years off our lives.

Heart failure, strokes and heart attacks

Health records for almost 400 participants over forty years in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging show that those who had taken in negative stereotypes about aging at young ages had twice as high a risk of cardiovascular events occurring. Those with positive age beliefs had far less risk.

Gait, strength and balance

A study of New Haven residents over seventy shows that those with negative age beliefs were less likely to recover fully from severe disability. Those with positive beliefs were more likely to recover fully with improved physical function.

Alzheimer’s disease

Some participants in the Baltimore study underwent regular brain scans, and some donated their brains for autopsies. Those who held more negative age beliefs at younger ages exhibited a sharper decline in the volume of the hippocampus, the brain region associated with memory. After their deaths, they also exhibited more of the brain plaques and tangles that are Alzheimer’s biomarkers.

The list goes on. Older people with positive views of aging perform better on hearing tests and memory tasks. They are less likely to develop psychiatric illnesses like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts.

Age discrimination costs us dearly. Negative age stereotypes and negative self-perceptions of aging lead to $63 billion in excess annual spending on common health conditions like cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes and injuries. Positive aging not only saves lives, but also a ton of money.

Damaging ideas about aging must change. Exposing people to words and phrases to describe older people as active and full of life (instead of grumpy and helpless) will shift perceptions

Shift perceptions and you move beliefs. Move beliefs and you change actions and outcomes.

Enhancing a sense of competence and value among older people will help everyone.

Reference

“Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging” National Institute of Aging (2022)

“Exploring the health effects of ageism” The New York Times (2022)