Perceptions of aging across 26 cultures and their culture-level associates.
College students (N=3,435) in 26 cultures reported their perceptions of age-related changes in physical, cognitive, and socioemotional areas of functioning and rated societal views of aging within their culture. There was widespread cross-cultural consensus regarding the expected direction of aging trajectories with (a) perceived declines in societal views of aging, physical attractiveness, the ability to perform everyday tasks, and new learning; (b) perceived increases in wisdom, knowledge, and received respect; and (c) perceived stability in family authority and life satisfaction. Cross-cultural variations in aging perceptions were associated with culture-level indicators of population aging, education levels, values, and national character stereotypes. These associations were stronger for societal views on aging and perceptions of socioemotional changes than for perceptions of physical and cognitive changes. A consideration of culture-level variables also suggested that previously reported differences in aging perceptions between Asian and Western countries may be related to differences in population structure.
Löckenhoff
Corinna E
CE
National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA. CEL72@cornell.edu
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F
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Antonio
A
McCrae
Robert R
RR
De Bolle
Marleen
M
Costa
Paul T
PT
Aguilar-Vafaie
Maria E
ME
Ahn
Chang-kyu
CK
Ahn
Hyun-nie
HN
Alcalay
Lidia
L
Allik
Juri
J
Avdeyeva
Tatyana V
TV
Barbaranelli
Claudio
C
Benet-Martinez
Veronica
V
Blatný
Marek
M
Bratko
Denis
D
Cain
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TR
Crawford
Jarret T
JT
Lima
Margarida P
MP
Ficková
Emília
E
Gheorghiu
Mirona
M
Halberstadt
Jamin
J
Hrebícková
Martina
M
Jussim
Lee
L
Klinkosz
Waldemar
W
Knezević
Goran
G
de Figueroa
Nora Leibovich
NL
Martin
Thomas A
TA
Marusić
Iris
I
Mastor
Khairul Anwar
KA
Miramontez
Daniel R
DR
Nakazato
Katsuharu
K
Nansubuga
Florence
F
Pramila
V S
VS
Realo
Anu
A
Rolland
Jean-Pierre
JP
Rossier
Jerome
J
Schmidt
Vanina
V
Sekowski
Andrzej
A
Shakespeare-Finch
Jane
J
Shimonaka
Yoshiko
Y
Simonetti
Franco
F
Siuta
Jerzy
J
Smith
Peter B
PB
Szmigielska
Barbara
B
Wang
Lei
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Yamaguchi
Mami
M
Yik
Michelle
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D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001290:Attitude; D003071:Cognition; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D010809:Physical Fitness; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping