If you’re of a “certain age,” you’ve likely experienced some form of ageism while going about your daily activities. And by ageism, we don’t necessarily mean outright explicit discrimination or denial of opportunities because of your age (though of course, those actions are commonplace for so many, especially those seeking employment opportunities in their later years). Rather, it may be more subtle, such as someone suggesting you’re having a “senior moment,” or one too many television commercials reminding you of the evils of wrinkled skin. These more subtle yet pervasive signs of ageism are described in a recent study in JAMA  as “everyday ageism,” which the researchers define as “brief verbal, nonverbal, and environmental indignities that convey hostility, a lack of value, or narrow stereotypes of older adults.” In fact, these ageist signals in society are so pervasive that it’s been estimated that an astonishing 93% of adults aged 50-80 regularly experience everyday ageism in the course of their daily lives. That’s as pervasive as the oxygen you breathe, though much more lethal. It’s been documented by 95% of recent studies examining the connection between ageism and health that ageism leads to worse health outcomes among older adults. And, of course, we’ve previously mentioned the work of Professor Becca Levy of Yale, who has found that internalizing the negative sentiments of ageism can literally shorten your lifespan.

Fortunately, we have a visible and vocal anti-ageism advocate who is fighting against ageism and welcoming grass root uprisings to help dispel ageist stereotypes and myths. Her name is Ashton Applewhite and she’s made her voice known loud and clear over the past few months in media appearances that underscore her wisdom and outrage when it comes to ageism. In a recent TED Radio Hour appearance (she comes on at approximately minute 25) Applewhite describes her own “late to the game” recognition of the negative impact of ageism. She rails against age denial and hyped fears and apprehension about aging. As she makes clear, “The sooner we get off the hamster wheel of age denial, the better off we are.” Rather than make us feel bad about the natural human transitions that occur as we get older, we are shamed into thinking we’re feeble or weak because we can’t open a jar or go up a staircase without a handrail. You can see a transcript of her TED Hour comments here, or watch her being interviewed on a recent CBS news program here.

Interestingly, however, one study with an opposing conclusion has just been released and provokes food for thought. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts set out to demonstrate that ageism in communities would lead to excess mortality among older adults. Here is what they assumed would happen: “We hypothesized that communities with greater age bias would have higher mortality among residents aged 65 and older. We expected the association to be unique to age bias, rather than general bias (i.e., sexual minority and racial bias), and that the age bias-mortality association would be strongest in predominantly White and younger communities.” However, the results of the study were anything but what they expected. In fact, something inexplicable seems to be happening in communities where ageism appears prevalent: According to this study, senior citizens in those communities appear to live longer, healthier lives than those in communities with less ageism. While it’s unclear exactly why this is so, they also found that “greater explicit age bias also was associated with lower death rates among young and middle-aged adults in those counties, suggesting that any health benefits of living in ageist communities may begin to accrue in earlier life.” You can read more about this study here. While these results are interesting and underscore the need for further research, no one should take away from this that ageist attitudes and behaviors are positive factors for older adults. As Ashton has told us, “The sooner growing older is stripped of reflexive dread, the better equipped we are to benefit from the countless ways in which it can enrich us.”