Title: Am I a Senior Citizen? Age, Terminology, and What Old Means
Headings: Am I a Senior Citizen? Age, Terminology, and What "Old" Really Means
Am I a Senior Citizen? Age, Terminology, and What "Old" Really Means
Old, Elderly, or Geriatric? Definitions and Connotations
When Does Old Age Begin?
The Positive and Negative Effects of Age Stereotypes
The Bottom Line

Content: Older adults who are constantly exposed to negative aging stereotypes can internalize the messages and unconsciously make them come true. According to an article in the Journal of Geriatrics, one study found that seniors who received subtle messages with words like "senile" and "incompetent" before taking memory tests performed worse than the seniors who were primed with more positive words. In another study, receiving negative subliminal age-related messages caused older adults' cardiovascular stress levels to rise both before and after mentally challenging activities like math quizzes. Research has even shown that seniors who hold negative self-stereotypes regarding age are less likely to agree to medical treatment that would prolong their life. On the other hand, negative age stereotypes can actually motivate people to focus on actively preventing those stereotypes from coming true. According to a study in Leisure Sciences, older athletes often say they want to stay physically active to avoid getting "old" (which they stereotypically define as frail or ill). In cases like that, the stereotype has a beneficial effect on older adults. Interestingly, positive age stereotypes do not always have the intended effect. A 2012 study in The Journals of Gerontology of middle-aged (ages 36 to 60) and older adults (ages 61 and up) found that being exposed to positive age stereotypes actually made people feel older. Researchers speculated that may be because the study participants thought of themselves as younger than their chronological age, and being confronted with positive descriptions of aging made them perceive their own age more accurately.