Ageism Reduced by Education, Intergenerational Contact

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to mitigate ageist attitudes, bias, and stereotypes through education and intergenerational contact, reports ScienceDaily . The research team said programs that cultivate such contact, in conjunction with education about the aging process and its misconceptions, are most effective — with women, teenagers, and young adults benefiting the most. "If we teach people more about aging — if they're less scared of it, less negative about it, and less uncomfortable interacting with older people — that helps," said Cornell University Professor Karl Pillemer. Analysis of 63 studies, conducted between 1976 and 2018, with a total of 6,124 participants, assessed three types of anti-ageist interventions — education, intergenerational contact, and a combination of the two. The third approach was not only the most effective, but also inexpensive and easy to replicate. "Volunteer organizations and after-school programs should think about involving some of these methods to reduce ageist attitudes because they actually seem to work," Pillemer suggested.