Ageism Disappears When Young and Old Spend Time Together

A study in the American Journal of Public Health found bringing younger and older people together in various settings, along with educating younger people about the aging process, can counter ageism, according to U.S. News & World Report . "The findings really suggest that these interventions had a very strong effect on outcomes, attitudes, and knowledge" about aging, said University of Toronto Professor David Burnes. The researchers also noted persons who adopt negative attitudes about aging die about seven years earlier, on average, than those who feel more positive. "There's a difference in the way that older adults are treated, including the assumption that they're less competent, with their views or opinions taken less seriously," Burnes said. "There's also a tendency to put older adults in a box in terms of the way they ought to behave or act. They may also have problems gaining employment or experiencing pressure to retire before they may want to." A review of 63 studies on more than 6,100 participants between 1976 and 2018 explored three varieties of interventions, including contact between generations, education, and a mix of both. The last intervention type was substantially more effective than the other two.