Our perceptions of when old age begins shift as we age, according to a new study from Michigan State University.
Researchers showed that people tend to move what they define as ‘old-age’ so it’s always older than they are.
William Chopick is the lead author of the study. He said people move the goalpost because of stigma.
“So there’s some internalized stigma about older adulthood so people are always pushing what older adulthood is always in the future. They are distancing themselves from older adulthood.”
Chopick said old-age bias is as significant as race bias.
“When you look at the gap in how you elevate a younger and an older adult and a white and a black person those scores are actually pretty similar. It’s something that’s not talked about a lot in the field but when you look at the data it’s actually pretty similar.”
Chopick said age bias has some real-world effects: people who could benefit from programs like Medicaid and Meals on Wheels, which largely serve older Americans, tend to vote against them because they don’t see themselves as elderly.