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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 & 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 & Slade, 2026).

These findings highlight the astonishing importance of positive beliefs about aging and “redefine aging so that it includes the possibility of improvement” (Levy & Slade, 2026).

According to Yale Professor Becca Levy, Ph.D., an expert on the psychology of successful aging, our beliefs about getting older can shape many aspects of our lives, including how well and how long we live (Levy, 2022).

With the population of Americans ages 65 and older expected to increase to 82 million people by the year 2050, a 30 percent rise, these new findings have the potential to impact a lot of people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023).

Given this groundbreaking information, what might be your next step toward shifting your mindset about getting older?

Socially derived declinist stereotypes about aging are modifiable—in other words, they can be changed or adjusted to make them more accurate. For example, rather than thinking in diminishing ways about older people as frail, feeble, dinosaur, declining, over-the-hill, and burdensome, we can use more positive, respectful descriptions such as resilient, wise, experienced, seasoned, mentors, vibrant, accomplished, active, and elders.

New information invites you to learn more and have conversations with others of all ages about what it means to get older—to challenge the antiquated idea that growing older is simply a time of inevitable decline.

Continuing to learn can be a key priority for adults in midlife and older. This is an invitation to take initiative to continue to grow, use our brains in new ways, and implement new choices and behaviors (Stringer, 2026; Wu et al., 2021). Older adults who continue to learn in a supportive learning environment are typically more resilient—they can find ways to maximize their potential and improve their cognitive abilities, their confidence in their capacity to learn, and their ability to adapt to change.

Every one of us is getting older every day of our lives. What might be the benefits of expanding your vision of possibilities for living as resiliently, healthfully, and fully as you can in the second half of life (Berns-Zare, 2025)?

What negative stereotypes about getting older do you carry?

How might your current life and your expectations about the changing seasons of your years shift if you challenge some outdated assumptions and replace them with more positive understandings and messages?

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© 2026 Ilene Berns-Zare, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. No content is a substitute for consulting with a qualified mental health or healthcare professional.

Berns-Zare, I. (2025). You’re Not Too Old and It’s Not Too Late: Weekly Practices for Meaning, Mindfulness and New Possibilities at Midlife and Beyond. Hollister, CA: MSI Press. https://msipress.com/product/youre-not-too-old-and-its-not-too-late/

Levy, B. (2022). Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long & Well You Live. New York, NY: William Morrow.

Levy, B. R., & Slade, M. D. (2026). Aging Redefined: Cognitive and Physical Improvement with Positive Age Beliefs. Geriatrics, 11(2), 28.

Stringer, H. (2026). How learning protects the aging brain: Researchers are leveraging neuroplasticity to help older adults adapt to change and boost cognitive function. American Psychological Association Monitor on Psychology, 58(3), 48. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/04-05/learning-protects-aging-brain

United States Census Bureau (2023). 2023 National population projections tables: Main series. Table 2: Projected population by age group and sex. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/popproj/2023-summary-table…

Wu, R., Zhao, J., Cheung, C., Natsuaki, M. N., Rebok, G. W., & Strickland-Hughes, C. M. (2021). Learning as an important privilege: A life span perspective with implications for successful aging. Human Development, 65(1), 51–64.

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