Overall, aging is the strongest risk factor for most noncommunicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Most people will spend a significant portion of their lives affected by these conditions. According to some estimates, nearly 95 percent of U.S. adults over the age of 60 have at least one chronic condition, and nearly 80 percent have two or more chronic conditions. (Read how to care for your brain as you age.)
But chronological age may not be a good indicator for defining old age, a new study says. Rather, people may enter old age at different times, depending on their own perceptions.
And it’s true that no one wants to get older, especially as stereotypes about aging have become more negative over the past 200 years, further accelerating what has been called the global ageism crisis. . According to the World Health Organization, age discrimination can be subtle, such as hiring more youthful candidates, or it can be overtly derogatory, leading to social isolation, poor health, and even premature death. may lead to.
Becca Levy, a professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale University who was not involved in the new study, has spent much of her career unraveling the downstream effects of beliefs about age. , which she describes in detail in her book. break age regulations.
“Increased negative thinking about age can lead to poorer physical, mental, and cognitive health,” Levy says, but positive thinking can lead to better health. One of Levy’s analyzes estimates that the annual cost of age discrimination in the United States totals $63 billion.
