Would you like to add years to your life, years of quality living? Most of us would.

There are several ways to do this. Exercise, diet and stress reduction are common strategies, for people of any age, but they are not the only ones.

Research has shown that you may be able to add 7.5 years to your life by changing how you see yourself in the world. This has been explained by Yale University professor, Dr. Becca Levy, in her new book, Breaking the Age Code (2022).

These research findings are not about general positive thinking. They are centered around changing our beliefs about ageing itself.

Stereotypes Can Hurt Us

When we see seniors portrayed in a negative light on television or around us in the community, we have every right to feel offended. Ageism and negative stereotypes about seniors are all around us.

They hurt when we encounter them. But they can be even more harmful when we internalize them and believe them to be true about ourselves. It turns out that they can be harmful not only to our self-esteem, to our health and longevity as well.

A Real-Life Example

In her book, Dr. Levy gives us a real-life example.

Dr. Levy’s grandmother, a competitive golfer and avid walker, bumped into a crate, inappropriately left in the middle of a grocery store aisle. She cut her leg but didn’t think much of it. The owner of the store saw blood on her leg, and when she explained what had happened, he blamed her and her age.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be walking around. It’s not my fault old people fall down all the time,” he said.

These words struck home with Dr. Levy’s grandmother. For the next several days, she lost trust in herself. She stopped driving and requested extra assistance from others. She was questioning her own competency as an older person in a way she had never done before.

Fortunately, these changes to her self-image were short-lived. Soon, she was back to her regular active lifestyle. But this example shows how hurtful biased comments from others can have lingering effects on one’s independence and health.

Imagine how harmful it would have been if Dr. Levy’s grandmother had kept buying into these distorted beliefs about herself.

Changing Our Mindsets Can Help Us Live Longer and Better

In her book, Dr. Levy reviewed studies showing that older people with more positive perceptions of ageing or more likely to recover from severe disability, have better memory, walk faster and even live longer.

She also found evidence that positive age beliefs can even act as a buffer against developing dementia in people who carry the dreaded Alzheimer’s gene. This research is in the early stages, but the possibilities are very exciting.

How to Fight Back Against Harmful Beliefs

In general, there are two kinds of beliefs that can hurt us:

1. General Negative Stereotypes About Ageing

Here are some big ones: older people are out of touch, less productive, less capable, more needy, more stuck in their ways.

These ideas may be true for some individuals, at any age. They may even be true about ourselves, some of the time.

They become problematic when we assume that they are true without knowing anything about the individual. To be fair, each individual needs to be viewed as an individual. This is more accurate, obviously, and avoids what my daughter calls a sweeping generalization.

2. Negative Stereotypes About Ageing That We Believe to Be True About Ourselves

Here are a few examples that you might have applied to yourself.

I am not very good at technology, because I am older. You may not be very good at technology, but it is not necessarily because you’re older. It is important to challenge these assumptions and look for alternate explanations.

For instance, younger people have a big advantage when it comes to learning technology, because, at their stage in life, they may be able to devote hours and hours to learning and practice.

As I get older, I get less productive. Maybe this is true for you as an individual. Or maybe, your priorities, and hence your efforts, have changed over the years. Maybe there is less need for you to be driven to achieve in the workplace. Maybe now, for you as an individual, it is more important to spend time with your family and grandchildren.

You are still productive, but in other ways, of your choosing.

How to Reap the Benefits for a Longer Life?

Changing your mindset about ageing can help you become more active and more willing to embrace healthier lifestyle habits. You are less likely to let fears of ageing (another type of negative perception) hold you back.

By shedding harmful beliefs about yourself, you could feel more hope and optimism. That may motivate you to exercise more or to initiate more social contact with old and maybe even new friends. You may even feel less stressed and more energetic.

When all of these benefits are added together, a longer and more fulfilling life may be your destiny.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Can you identify any beliefs in your day-to-day life that hold you back? Do certain ideas about yourself make it harder for you to initiate new activities? These negative ideas may be easier to fight than you realize.