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Creating the Right Positive Aging Message
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Sept. 4, 2015 |
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In a recent article published in
The Atlantic, "
Battling Ageism With Subliminal Messages," Cari Romm cites the research of Becca Levy, the director of social and behavioral sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. Levy, who has spent much of her career studying how cultural perceptions of aging affect the health of our older adults, discovered that those with an optimistic view of aging lived an average of 7 ½ years longer than those with a pessimistic view, and they had a greater sense of self-esteem. She also learned that people with a positive outlook about their ability to bounce back from injury or illness were more likely to make a full recovery.
What was most surprising; however, was the impact of implicit (or subliminal) messaging on a participant's view of aging. When people were exposed to positive words flashing across a screen (such as "wise" or "spry"), they demonstrated a more positive perception of aging, even though the words were moving too quickly to be perceived at a conscious level.
"When people are given messages in a very explicit way, sometimes it's easy to resist them or just discard them as not being valid or relevant," Levy explained. "One of the thoughts behind why these implicit messages might work is that they might be able to bypass some of the negatives, the ageism that people have taken in over time."
In our recent
LinkedIn discussion, MPL Director of Development, Emily Warren, posed the question: "What messaging are you using to create a culture of successful aging?" Furthermore, "What messages are you subjecting yourself to about aging?" For example, do you frequently watch shows that depict older adults as victims? Do your friends repeatedly make negative age-related comments about you or themselves?
We are responsible for creating our own environment, correcting people who are perpetuating these stereotypes and surrounding ourselves with people who believe we can grow.
Live Long. Live Well!
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Interview with Dr. Roger About Healthy
Living Longer
on San Diego Living
Dr. Roger Landry is the author of Live Long, Die Short: A Guide to Authentic Health and Successful Aging.
In
Live Long, Die Short
, Dr. Roger shares a path that anyone can take, at any point in life, who wants to achieve authentic health and empower themselves to age in a
better way.
Live Long, Die Short is a 2014 Living Now Book Award Gold Medal Winner, has been endorsed by AARP, and is a 2014 Top Pick for MORE magazine.
Did you benefit from
Live Long, Die Short?
Thank you for spreading the word about what is possible with aging.
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Cheers,
Dr. Roger
Author of Live Long, Die Short
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