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Recent discoveries shatter long-held beliefs about aging and show how beliefs can impact how we age.

A 2026 study found that positive age beliefs predicted improvement in cognitive and/or physical function.

Negative stereotypes about aging are modifiable. They can be changed or adjusted to make them more accurate.

It may be time to update your understanding about what aging is and is not. Recent discoveries are crushing long-held beliefs about aging and revising concepts about how our beliefs can impact how we age.

Contrary to prevalent stereotypes, negative messages (internalized agism) about getting older no longer fit with groundbreaking discoveries that are shattering biases about aging. According to experts, with shifts in lifestyle and mindsets, we can redefine aging as we aspire to live with greater vigor and wellness in life’s second half (Levy & Slade, 2026; Stringer, 2026).

A new study recently published in Geriatrics (2026) by researchers at Yale University found that 45.15 percent of the 11,314 participants aged 65 years and older who had more positive beliefs about aging showed some cognitive and physical improvement (Levy & Slade, 2026):

“... the current study demonstrated for the first time that participants who had assimilated more positive age beliefs were more likely to show improvement in both cognitive and physical function” (Levy &........

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