Thursday, February 23, 2023

Why Americans are so afraid of aging

Plus more health news |

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The uniquely American aversion to growing old
By Jeffrey Kluger
Editor at Large

I’ve never been terribly keen to share my age, but if you must know the general range, suffice to say I was born during the administration of President Eisenhower—his first term. That puts me squarely in the heart of the Baby Boomer cohort and—not to put too fine a point on things—it also puts me closer to, well, the end of the line than one might prefer. Like a lot of Boomers, I resist aging and the mortal end that it implies with a host of strategies: vigorous workouts, periodic hair colorings, and a healthy dose of simple denial.

All of that led me to write today’s story on why Americans as a whole and Boomers in particular are so resistant to aging—especially when we live in a world filled with other cultures that not only don’t denigrate, but venerate the aged. As Thomas Pyszczynski, a 68-year-old psychology professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, told me, “We have this evolved imperative to stay alive. So the awareness of death creates this potential for terror. As a result, we use the same intellectual abilities that make us aware of death to manage our fear of it.”

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What else to read
Flu Shots Have Been Working Well This Season, Data Suggest
By Jamie Ducharme
They've prevented severe disease and hospitalizations across age groups.
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Mental Illness Made My First Year as a Mom Excruciating. I’m Just Lucky It Wasn’t Worse
By Eugenia Leigh
I'm just lucky it wasn't worse, writes Eugenia Leigh.
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The Best Exercises to Sneak Into Your Workday
By Pam Moore
Here are three easy ways to move more during work.
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How Grief Upsets Your Gut Health
By Connie Chang and Juli Fraga
Grief can throw the body off course, upsetting the gastrointestinal tract.
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What to Know About Bariatric Surgery for Type 2 Diabetes
By Markham Heid
Research indicates that surgery can put diabetes into remission, and it's safe and cost-effective.
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ONE LAST READ
How old are you in your head?

The Atlantic’s Jennifer Senior started asking people that question and found that almost everybody had an answer that differed from their “real” age.

Some people, she learned, think of themselves as older than they are, but most skew younger—with many people staying mentally frozen at an age when their lives felt both secure and full of potential.

Read More »

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Today's newsletter was written by Jeffrey Kluger and Jamie Ducharme, and edited by Mandy Oaklander.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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