March 2009 - Research from Yale School of Public Health and the National
Institute on Aging published in Psychological Science shows that ageism remains prevalent in America with
older people contributing to stereotypical images of their age group such as helplessness and incompetence.
Previous studies have shown than older people who believe in negative assumptions about aging tend
to fulfill them. This study found that young, healthy people with stereotypical attitudes to older people may be
at risk of heart disease themselves in the future.
The researchers reviewed data on hundreds of men and women participating in the Baltimore
Longitudinal Study of Aging. Volunteers ranged in age from 18 to 49 and were in good health on recruitment in 1968.
Among initial data gathered their attitudes toward the elderly ranged from very positive to very negative.
Researchers examined participants' health histories with particular reference to cardiovascular
disease and found a significant association between ageism early in life and poor health later on. Participants who
expressed negative views of old age were much more likely to experience some kind of cardiovascular disorder in the
ensuing 40 years.
They also identified a group who experienced heart problems after reaching 60 and also found that they tended to
have been negative about aging from early on. The episodes of heart disease could not be explained by common risk
factors such as smoking, depression, cholesterol or family history.
The researchers conclude that internalizing stereotypes of old age when still quite young may have far reaching consequences. Individuals risk becoming the negative stereotype they associated with others earlier in their lives.
