![]() One of the major mechanisms of the stereotype embodiment is the reduction of perceived control, as older adults who feel more in control are able to offset the ‘negative’ effects of the stereotypes. The ‘counterclockwise’ experiment and the role of perceived control 14 Similarly, during a 6-year study conducted in Germany, age stereotypes from older adults were a significantly better predictor of health than vice versa. 13 In another study conducted with a large sample of young and middle-aged men, people with negative age stereotypes demonstrated higher chances than average to experience a cardiovascular event over the next four decades. These health advantages remained after adjusting for baseline functional health and other relevant variables. 12 Participants with more positive self-perceptions of ageing at baseline had better functional health over the course of the study and lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those with more negative self-perceptions of ageing. 11 The long-term effects of these self-perceptions were demonstrated by a pair of studies based on data from the Ohio Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Retirement, in which participants aged 50 or older at baseline were followed for over two decades. Stereotypical images of ageing are recalled and used as they were initially learned, and there is evidence to suggest that as a person ages these stereotypes may become a self-perception. These terms prime implicit and explicit stereotypes of older adults in both older and younger cohorts. The development of research on ageing stereotypes focuses as well on including negative attributes (eg, being ‘forgetful’, ‘weak’, ‘rigid’), 9 10 as well as positive characteristics (eg, being ‘warm’). Like any label, the term ‘elderly’ tends to confound a population that can be very different from each other-for example, the 92-year-old yogi versus the wheelchair user patient with dementia, indiscriminately ascribing a lack of personal control and both physical and mental decline, essentially similar to chronic illness labels. Research has increasingly turned to improving well-being in later life, including investigations about how to preserve physical and cognitive functioning, as well as psychological health, although further investigations are warranted. 4 There is a need to develop innovative ideas that can enable older adults to remain independent and in good health given the increased longevity of older adults. 3 In OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, the average life expectancy has exceeded 80 years, which is an increase of 10 years since 1970. The percentage of the total population that is over the age of 65 is projected to increase from 15% to 24% between 20. ![]() 1 Similarly, the US Census Bureau 2 reported that between the years 20, the rate of growth for the nation’s 65-and-older sector surpassed the rate of increase of the entire population. In the European Union, the ratio of people over age 65 to those between ages 15 and 64 is projected to increase from 25.4% to 53.5% between 20. The need for a new active ageing paradigm Every participant will be assessed for medical, cognitive, psychological and age appearance at four time points: at the time of recruitment, after the intervention (ie, after a week for the no-treatment group) and again after 6 and 12 months. Ninety participants will be randomly allocated to one of these three conditions. This ‘counterclockwise’ intervention will be tested as a randomised control trial comprised of the experimental (‘counterclockwise’) group, an active control group (same activities, no time manipulation) and a no-treatment group. The week-long residential programme is designed to prime this perception by incorporating a completely retrofitted physical environment, as well as providing opportunities to engage in social activities that would have been common in the late 1980s. Participants will be instructed and helped to relive their younger selves, acting as i f they are living in the year 1989. This study replicates in large part the original 1979 ‘Counterclockwise’ experiment by Ellen Langer and will involve a group of older adults (aged 75+) taking part of a 1-week retreat outside of Milan, Italy.
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