Expectations on Aging
Expectations on Aging
January 1, 2024
Joy Stepinski, MSN, RN-BC
During the past year, I read The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World by David Robson. The book discussed ways in which expectations can influence mental and physical well-being. Although I enjoyed reading the entire book, my favorite chapter was the last one. In this section, the author discussed expectations of aging.
Attitudes and outlooks can greatly influence how people respond physically, emotionally, and spiritually to aging. The example used in the book was a woman named Paddy Jones. Jones is a British dancer who gained the public eye during a Spanish talent show called Tú Sí Que Vales and has since become popular in the international television arena with Britain’s Got Talent, German Das Supertalent, and Argentinean Bailando [2]. She started her dancing career after her husband died when she was in retirement. She is now in her mid-80s. Her secret? She does not think of herself as her age.
How many times do you feel bound to or limited by your age? Robson states that one’s belief in the aging process contributes to long-term well-being. This includes negative feelings about retirement, worrying about getting sick, and being fixated on every body ache.
An undesirable view of aging is certainly shaped by cultural aspects. As one author points out, the United States values youth, as evidenced by fashion magazines, Hollywood movies, and a general preoccupation of feeling younger. Even more, media devalues the elderly and older people face “an escalating level of disregard, disrespect, and marginalization” [3]. It is high time this attitude is changed!
Robson writes, “The way we age is very much within our power, and the more we remember that, the easier we will find it to confront the negative expectations thrust on us by society, and to choose our own path” [1]. Reframe negativity about aging. Embrace the experience and knowledge gained from living longer. Consider that aging is embodied by wisdom… how empowering!