MIAMI: Lack of respect for the elderly in western societies could be fuelling the Alzheimer’s epidemic and simply allowing people to grow old gracefully could prevent dementia, scientists have suggested.
The study by Yale School of Public Health, in the US, is the first to show that social and cultural stereotypes can influence the development of age related disease.
Put simply, people who have been conditioned by society to think they will become physically and mentally decrepit in older age, probably will. The stress of such negative thoughts may actually alter the brain and trigger dementia, scientists believe.
“We believe it is the stress generated by the negative beliefs about aging that individuals sometimes internalise from society that can result in pathological brain changes.”
In contrast, upbeat, optimistic and active individuals who refuse to conform to ageist stereotypes, are likely to stay mentally alert for longer…