The Power of Positive Stereotyping for Seniors
Take a moment, envision a typical senior, are they happy? Are they full of life? Probably not, but why is that?
Seniors are typically stereotyped as shriveled and lifeless, but the reality is not totally that. More and more, seniors are enjoying their lives in an outgoing fashion until well until their 80’s and 90’s. This is largely because of advances in medicine, but also because of a cultural shift in how seniors are seeing themselves.
In this article, we examine how that perception has changed, as well as the impact it is having upon seniors and our society.
The Impact of Positivity
Studies have shown that those of us who hold positive age stereotypes are likely to walk faster into our old-age, recover faster from disabilities more full, and live longer than our friends who hold the opposing view. This seems to lend itself to the power of positivity, as well as the power that positivity can have on the way we act and live.
Cultivating a Positive Attitude
So, is it possible to ditch your negative stereotypes around aging? Of course it is! However, it often requires a full change in how you live and look at your life. It’s important that you remain active throughout your life, as well as when you can, express how you’re feeling.
The Impact of Staying Active
We feel good when we help other people, when we feel like we are making a difference with our lives. Our culture, though changing, sometimes treats older people as if they were useless, unable to contribute in meaningful ways. Doctors have discovered that when their patients were able to fight against old stereotypes and to do meaningful work, that they also stopped thinking of themselves, and of their contemporaries, in negative terms.
A Prescription for Positivity?
If you are suffering from being under the influence of negative stereotypes about aging, write yourself a prescription: Find one meaningful thing to do, and then think about how it make you feel. Write about it. Keep going. If you do, you will chip away at any negative stereotypes you hold about aging, and start to build a better life. Where you walk faster. And you might even start to remember where your car keys are.
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