It seems to me that it is an over-simplification to say that happy or optimistic people are healthier people. Could it be that people who have a better genetic inheritance for health would obviously have less health-related problems and would likely be happier people because of that? Which comes first, the good health or the happiness? -- Signed: Doubting Conventional Wisdom.

Dear Doubting:

Thank you for writing! You pose a good question, given that we are in the midst of an era in which there is a strong emphasis on willpower, discipline, and personal responsibility. Blame it on the baby boomers, I suppose. More than any other generation, they tend to think that they can be as young as they feel. Older folks may dismiss that kind of thinking as "hogwash." They have already experienced the aging process, and they may often tell you that growing older is not that much fun.

The truth, however, is somewhere in between. You can't be as young as you feel, but research has found that ageist attitudes can influence how soon you might develop signs of frailty -- slower walk, decreased grip strength, weight loss, and easy exhaustion. In a study published in 2004, researchers reported their findings from following 1,600 Mexican-Americans aged 65 and older in the Galveston, Texas, for seven years. They found that older adults who had more positive attitudes were significantly less likely to develop signs of frailty. In other words, the more pessimistic you are about life and aging, the more rapidly you will decline physically.

In another study published in late 2004, researchers in North Carolina demonstrated that negative stereotypes about aging had a profound impact on memory tests. When older adults were exposed to negative words related to aging such as "cranky," "feeble," and "senile," they had a more difficult time with memory tests. However, their memory test performance was enhanced by pre-test exposure to positive words such as "accomplished," "dignified," and "knowledgeable."

"Ageism" is a belief system that stereotypes any age group, young or old, on the basis of so-called "age" issues. With respect to older adults, ageism is often manifested by beliefs that as you age you become more disabled, more prone to illness, less intelligent, less useful, less active, and less attractive. An example of negative ageism behavior might be an older person being called "cranky" when they are expressing a legitimate dislike, while a younger person might not be called cranky for the same statement of discontent.

Ageism is perpetuated in popular culture through such things as birthday cards which decry the advance of age, or through negative images of older people in advertisements and television programs. Institutions perpetuate ageism by not hiring or promoting older workers. Ageism is based on distorted or inaccurate information. In a sense, because our life expectancy has increased so quickly in the United States, our cultural beliefs are lagging way behind our biological advances.

Consider the issue of illness in older persons. Are they more sick and disabled than younger persons? Half of Americans think that poor health is a "very serious problem" for most people over age 65. Fact: 78% of those over age 65 are healthy. While more persons over 65 have chronic illnesses that limit their activity (43%) than do younger persons (10%), older adults have fewer acute illnesses, fewer injuries and fewer accidents. The list of distorted beliefs about older adults includes stereotypes about sexual behavior, ugliness, mental decline, mental illness, uselessness, poverty, depression, and isolation.

Counseling professionals have known for years that our beliefs influence us. In fact, they can influence us so strongly that we will often set things up so we can produce a result the supports our belief. It is a very strong human trait that influences us to interpret data to keep our beliefs. It is called "bias." Scientists try to counter their biases by doing double-blind studies, so they will have less of an opportunity to force research results to fit their preconceived theories.

I think the North Carolina and Texas studies help us to more clearly understand that our mindsets and beliefs about aging do influence how we age and can impact our physical health and mental functioning. We each have different biological inheritances. We each can maximize what we have been given by examining our mindsets and altering beliefs that may set us up for a physical decline before our time.

I hope this is helpful. For more information about ageism and aging concerns and issues, please see links posted further below. -- Best wishes, Dr. Ron.

Author Bio:

Ron Sterling, M.D. is a 60 year-old General and Geriatric Psychiatrist with a private practice in Seattle. He invites you to e-mail him at with any questions about mental wellness or emotional, relationship, or aging concerns. He is the only person who reads e-mail sent to DrRon. Please be assured that your questions and identities are completely confidential and protected. For more information about DrRon and for resources related to senior mental health, please go to SeniorMentalHealth.org. The content offered through Mind Matters is for information only and is not intended for medical, psychiatric, or psychological diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in this column. Read our Disclaimer. If you wish to understand more about Dr. Sterling's potential biases in health care advocacy, please check his Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Statement

• From SeniorJournal.com, posted March 29, 2005 -- Stereotypes of aging may have significant effect on gaits of older persons.

• From the British Broadcasting Web site, posted September 12, 2004 -- Positive attitude delays ageing.
  • Read the full journal article (small Adobe Acrobat document) -- Onset of Frailty in Older Adults and the Protective Role of Positive Affect.

• From the American Psychological Association, press release posted September 12, 2004 -- Negative Stereotypes Can Influence Older Adult Memory Performance.
  • Read the full journal article (small Adobe Acrobat document) -- Explicit and Implicit Stereotype Activation Effects on Memory: Do Age and Awareness Moderate the Impact of Priming?.

• From the Geriatric Times, posted November 2002 -- Confronting Ageism: The Maturing of Medical School Curricula.

• From the American Psychological Association, press release posted July 28, 2002 -- Positive Self-Perceptions of Aging May Influence Longevity More Than Other Health Factors, Such as Not Smoking or Exercising.

• From Yale Bulletin, posted September 1, 2000 -- Ideas about aging may affect health, study shows.

• Take the Stereotyping Test. From the Los Gatos Weekly Times, posted May 3, 2000 -- Stereotypes about aging seriously harm seniors.

• From the University of Illinois, posted 2000 --Older Can Be Better.

• From Science Daily, posted July 23, 1998 -- Elderly Should Ignore Stereotypes About Memory Loss.

• From Webster University (author Linda M. Woolf, Ph.D), posted 1998 -- Ageism.

• From School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley, posted 1994 -- Ageism (by Barrie Robinson, MSSW).

• From Shippensburg University (author Scott F. Madey, Ph.D.) -- Age-based Stereotypes.

• Journal link from the American Psychological Association -- the journal of Psychology and Aging.

• New York Times article (small Adobe Acrobat document) posted March 31, 2005 -- Supreme Court Removes Hurdle to Age Bias Suits.

• New York Times article (small Adobe Acrobat document) posted March 31, 2005 -- Judge Blocks Rule Allowing Companies to Cut Benefits When Retirees Reach Medicare Age.

The "Positive Aging Act of 2004" was introduced by Representative Patrick Kennedy, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Susan Collins and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in a press conference on Capitol Hill on June 24, 2004. This bi-partisan legislation calls for improved mental health care among the senior population. Read more about this legislation:

• From NAMI.org (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) -- Positive Aging Act.

• From AAGP.org (American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry) -- Positive Aging Act. Click Here to Contact Congress about the Positive Aging Act.

• Older Americans Consumer Mental Health Alliance. One of OACMHA's primary missions is to decrease fear in older persons of mental health stigma by increasing public awareness and knowledge of the special mental health needs and problems of older persons, including alternative solutions and approaches to services and treatments needed by this population group.

• Older Women's League. See their mental health advocacy pages at Older Americans Mental Health Week. As the only national grassroots membership organization to focus solely on issues unique to women as they age, the Older Women's League (OWL) strives to improve the status and quality of life for midlife and older women.

• Alliance of Retired Americans. The Alliance is not a senior citizens social club and it is not an organization formed to sell you things. It is a way for retired union members and others to make their voices heard.

• The National Council on Aging. Founded in 1950, The National Council on the Aging is a national network of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the health and independence of older persons.

• The American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) contains updated information about older adult mental health which will benefit both providers and consumers.

• The Gray Panthers. The Gray Panthers is a national organization of intergenerational activists dedicated to social change. Founded in 1970 by social activist Maggie Kuhn, Gray Panthers believe that all Americans should benefit from this country's abundance.

• Experience Works. Experience Works is a national, nonprofit organization that provides training and employment services for mature workers. Established in 1965 as Green Thumb, and renamed Experience Works in 2002, the organization reaches more than 125,000 mature individuals in all 50 states and Puerto Rico each year.

• The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) prides itself on being "the leading organization for those older than 50."

• ThirdAge.com has been on the Web since 1997. It is a large senior health care and relationship Web site. If you can overlook the somewhat over-commercialized aspect of ThirdAge.com, you can find some great resources and advice columns.

• SeniorHealthCare.org is a nicely organized, smaller site, with experts providing articles on various aspects of elder life, including ageism, alcoholism, and depression.

• About.com's Senior Health Center Web pages are hosted and contain updated information and links.

• HealthandAge.com is the Novartis Foundation for Gerontology site (Novartis is a large pharmaceutical manufacturer - products include Exelon for Alzheimer's, Tegretol for epilepsy and agitation, Ritalin for ADHD and narcolepsy, among many others).

• The Administration on Aging (AoA) is a federal Web site sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services which contains a huge amount of information and links.

• Seniors is FirstGov's large, federal Web site which lists most older adult agencies, including links to state agencies, and provides news and advice links about Medicare, retirement, and more.

How much of a detrimental psychological impact retirement has on any particular person has a lot to do with the circumstances of retirement. Is it forced? Is it due to a disability? Or, has it been planned? A forced retirement that is unexpected and unwanted, can result in feelings of hurt, resentment, anger, and jealousy, which will greatly complicate a retirement.

As much as we all more-or-less dream of retirement as a time of relaxation and no one telling us what to do, the reality of retirement can be feelings of loss, lower self-esteem, boredom, social isolation and, often, more complicated relationships with spouses who may not have seen so much of us while we were employed.

To read a short article about some psychological aspects of retirement or to find more information, please see the following links.

• Dr. Sterling's short article entitled Retirement Repercussions published February 2005.

• From Boston College -- Center for Retirement Research Web Site.

• From FindArticles.com -- Retirement straight talk: the self-discovery that it's not a simple transition but a new phase in life posted February 2004.

• From FindArticles.com -- A healthy retirement posted November 2002.

• From USNews.com, article posted June 14, 2004 -- You call this retirement? -- Today's retirees are defying the stereotypes about the golden years .

• From Aging Today -- Phased Retirement Will Ease Many Into Active Older Years .

• Book -- Don't Retire, REWIRE!.

• Book -- The Psychology of Retirement.

• From National Council on Aging -- "RespectAbility" - New Initiative Will Promote Older Americans As "Untapped Resource" To Help Renew Communities.

• Check the Web site of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. Such a conference happens only once every ten years.

• American Society on Aging Web Site.

• The Retirement Living Web Site.

• List of retirement communities associated with college campuses. As people begin looking for more meaning and value in retirement, they think about returning to the stimulating environment that they enjoyed decades earlier. Universities and developers, realizing the perpetual appeal of a college campus as well as the numerous resources it can put at the fingertips of retirees, are building retirement communities on or near the school's grounds.

• Check the LaSell Village Learning Community Web site.

• Gary Beene's Retirement Information Center.

• From the United Kingdom -- Age Positive Web Site.

• From Canada -- Ontario Human Rights Commission Web site on Retirement Issues.