Do media portrayals of super-agers reduce or increase ageism toward older adults?

Ashley Lytle, Caitlin Monahan, Sheri R. Levy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Super-agers are older adults with exemplary cognitive and/or physical abilities. However, the impact of media portrayals of super-agers is unknown. This study examined whether exposure to mass media stories about “moderate” super-agers (exemplary cognitive and physical skill levels) versus “extreme” super-agers (most extreme cognitive and physical skill levels) impacts young adults’ ageism. Undergraduate participants exposed to media portrayals of moderate super-agers reported greater agreement with positive age stereotypes toward older adults, whereas participants exposed to extreme super-agers reported lower levels of ageism as compared to control participants. Based on these findings, young adults may perceive super-agers in a positive manner as super-agers highlight positive attributes. Since super-agers are often portrayed as defying negative stereotypes through diligence and a positive outlook (less so through good genes or access to healthcare), exposure to super-agers could have negative effects, which is an important future direction.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)566-570
Number of pages5
JournalGerontology and Geriatrics Education
Volume45
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Keywords

  • Ageism
  • aging
  • media
  • stereotypes
  • super-agers

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