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As Americans age, one element
seems to be key for their mental
and physical health: optimism.
That’s the finding suggested by a
new Humana survey, which asked
Americans age 60 and over how
they perceive the importance of
various wellness traits.
Although the survey uncov-
ered many perspectives, the
findings about optimism suggest
a possible link between a “glass
half full” mentality and mental
and physical health:
• Older Americans who rat-
ed themselves as very optimistic
about aging tended to be the
most active physically, socially
and in their communities.
• They also reported a much
lower number of physically un-
healthy days per month on av-
erage: 2.84 for the most opti-
mistic, compared to 12.55
physically unhealthy days for
the least optimistic
• The most optimistic also felt
on average 12 years younger than
their actual age (those who are
least optimistic felt on average 7
years older than their actual age).
The survey also asked re-
spondents to rate how they feel
about the depiction of people
age 60 and over in pop culture:
in film, television, commercials
and so on. Overwhelmingly, the
respondents perceived these me-
dia portrayals of their own de-
mographic as inaccurate, rating
the accuracy level as, on aver-
age, 5 or less on a 10-point
scale. Those aging Americans
who do feel that media accu-
rately portrays them think about
aging more than the average and
have a higher level of fear about
aging than their peers.
Humana also recently part-
nered with The University of
Southern California (USC) to
take a first-ever look into soci-
ety’s views of aging in America
through the lens of film. The
USC study reveals that charac-
ters aged 60 and over are un-
derrepresented in film, and that
those characters who do appear
face demeaning or ageist refer-
ences. Key findings from the
study include:
• Just 11 percent of charac-
ters evaluated were aged 60 and
over; U.S. Census data shows
that 18.5 percent of the popula-
tion is aged 60 and over.
• Out of 57 films that fea-
tured a leading or supporting se-
nior character, 30 featured ageist
comments -- that’s more than
half of the films. Quotes includ-
ed characters being called “a rel-
ic,” “a frail old woman” and “a
senile old man.”
• Only 29.1 percent of on-
screen characters engaged with
technology, whereas 84 percent
of aging Americans report that
they use the internet weekly.
Taken together, these findings
feed into growing evidence that
suggest that ageism is a social de-
terminant of health and may neg-
atively impact health outcomes for
aging Americans. Societal views
and negative media portrayals can
cause aging Americans to feel in-
visible. These negative percep-
tions may dampen optimistic out-
looks and impact physical and
emotional health.
Humana wants to help aging
Americans defy stereotypes, age
with optimism and take steps to
achieve their best health. To learn
more about Humana’s commit-
ment to healthy aging, visit
StartWithHealthy.Humana.com.
ALife Half Full:Aging
With Optimism
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NewsUSA
Research was unveiled at
The Atlantic Live! New Old
Age Conference.
NewsUSA