Study links ageist attitudes to memory issues in older adults

An international study has identified a correlation between ageist attitudes and reported memory problems in older adults. Researchers recruited 974 participants aged 50 to 94 across nine countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, Ukraine, India, China, Israel, and Turkey.

According to Shevaun Neupert, a professor of psychology at North Carolina State University, the study found that individuals reported more memory issues on days when they held more prescriptive or restrictive views regarding how older people should behave. Neupert clarified that the correlation was not between an individual's own memory failures and their own behavior, but rather between their memory failures and their views on how other older people should act. The findings remained consistent across all nine participating nations.