Our culture is full of subtle, sometimes subliminal or almost invisible, suggestions that aging is bad. These negative elements have been shown to result in poorer health and a shorter life, unless understood and countered.
Led by Marvin E. Goldberg, PhD, Emeritus Bard Professor of Marketing at Penn State University.
We’ll review and document negative images (tottering, memory impaired, old geezers, etc.) generated by movies, tv shows, social media, advertising, and cosmetic and fashion industries. These “thousand cuts” are evident, if subtle, even within our own families, younger neighbors, and doctors. We’ll document these biases and show how unknowingly buying into these negative images can limit seniors. We’ll explore efforts to challenge and change the industries instrumental in portraying seniors either negatively—or not at all.
We’ll look at the many actions we can take to ensure that positive sides of aging (feeling wise, experienced, knowing, etc.) are foremost in our minds. We’ll review the science that documents how holding these positive images affect everything from how steadily we walk and how well we deal with stress, to how well we remember information we process—and even how long we live!
We’ll look at the evidence documenting how interacting/“co-generating” with younger people, from preschoolers to middle-agers, contributes to our well-being as seniors. In total, we consider some of the sometimes surprising actions we can take that can result in a happier, healthier and longer life.
