Cliches About Only Being as Old as You Feel Are Starting to Have Scientific Backing

New studies offer evidence that positive attitudes about aging may lower the risk of dementia, reports the Washington Post . A study from Yale University published in PLoS One determined older adults with positive beliefs about old age were less likely to develop dementia, including those with genetic dispositions. "These age stereotypes are communicated to children through many sources, ranging from stories to social media," says Yale Professor Becca Levy. "Individuals of all ages can benefit from bolstering their positive images of aging." An online poll of 50,000 Americans found as people got older they nevertheless continued to feel younger than their chronological age. Michigan State University Professor William Chopik says people's views change as they age: although people in their 70s and 80s reported feeling younger than their chronological years, teenagers and young adults equated turning 50 with hitting old age. He notes this attitude continues as people age, noting when people turn 70, 80 seems old, and when someone turns 80, 90 is old. "Part of that might arise from not wanting to be considered an older adult," Chopik says. "As a result, people could be perpetually pushing what is considered an older adult into the future. It could also arise from people feeling good about themselves and their bodies, and coming to the realization that, because of their negative beliefs about what it must feel like to be an older adult, that 'I must not be old.'"