Many adults, from midlife through older adulthood, regularly experience ageist biases.

Research shows that people with positive beliefs about aging enjoy physical and cognitive health benefits.

Age-belief journaling effectively reveals society's bias toward youth.

As Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials get older—with better healthcare and new psycho-social research and understandings—there are many opportunities to redefine how they describe themselves and the behaviors they choose in each season of their lives (Berns-Zare, 2025; Attia, 2023).

What words come to your mind as you consider growing older? Do negative terms like over-the-hill, old guard, weakened, ancient, or elderly come to mind? How about positive terms, such as evolved, adulting, seasoned, prime of life, mature, midlife, or older adult? Do you think about possibilities for living your best life, aging with vitality, and embracing your wisdom years? Or do you dread “getting old”?

Robert Butler, MD, first used the term ageism in 1968 when he defined it as systematic stereotyping and discrimination against older adults based solely on their age (Goudarzian, 2024). Many factors contribute to ageism, including psycho-social, economic, systemic, and cultural influences.

The focus of this post is to chip away at falsehoods and biases about getting older, and invite you to question labels and stereotypes you attribute to aging at midlife and beyond. Importantly, research now shows that shifting the lens........

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