Getting old is not for the faint at heart, at least, that is what my mother used to say. But is this attitude about aging one of the reasons we don’t age well?

Research on aging tells us that the messages we receive about aging affect how well we age.

Consider this. You are watching TV and you hear words like, “Spry, wise, honor, dignity, etc.,” to describe aging. Instead of the usual messages about falling down, taking multiple drugs and the need for pain relief, you hear positive words about aging.

A study in Psychological Science at the Yale School of Public Health concluded that these positive cultural messages about aging affect your physical function in a good way. In the study, positive messages about aging were presenting in unconscious ways. Those unconscious messages had more of an impactful than the conscious ones. And those unconscious messages about aging were more impactful than writing a positive story about aging. The subliminal messages were so powerful that another study found them equally as effective as exercise!

What does this mean? Stop listening to people and commercials that tell you how problematic aging is and will be. Find people with a positive outlook and support each other. Approach aging from a positive light.

The more positive the messages about aging, the better your self-image! Even better, be the bearer of good news. Talk about aging in positive ways and you will positively impact others.