3a)
In the article “Battling Ageism With Subliminal Messages” Cari Romm mentions a study from Yale School of Public Health that found that elderly people with optimistic views lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those with a pessimistic view. Romm also talks about another study where volunteers were subliminally shows positive aging words, fair enough, their views on aging became more positive. Their views and their health may have changed because people with more positive look on aging are more likely to take care of themselves. This raised a question whether “Can what they think be changed?”
There are three important factors that answer the question whether the way we think can be changed. Positive views, as shown in the studies can lead to positivity towards the way we think and the way we act. If we believe that we are not good enough, then our actions will agree with that. In order to have life a good lifestyle, you have to be able to have a positive outlook on life. Once we get old, there is no doubt that we are bound to die at any point. But, if we are just going to be thinking about that every day, our actions even our health can be affected. It can lead to anxiety and depression.
The second important point of this issue is that you cannot force change, you can only bring it out. If people wanted to have a negative outlook on life, they will do so. The research where they did the subliminal messages only made them do what they wanted to do. It helped the elderly bypass some of the negatives that they had over time.
The third important point of this issue is that we all have conflicting views on aging. We all have this stigma where once we age, we’re all going to be grumpy and cranky all the time. Once people reach that certain age, that is all they think about. Whether they are a burden to someone because of the amount of help they need. The stereotype that people put on the elderly are not always true. Some are actually with happy themselves even if they are old. They lived their life to the full extent, and that’s what keeps them positive. Like how it showed in the research, a positive mind means a longer life.
The importance of this article is that it reinforces the fact that our attitudes are everything and it
