Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live
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- Create Date：2022-06-29 06:52:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Becca Levy
- ISBN：0063053195
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Summary
Yale professor and leading expert on the psychology of successful aging， Dr。 Becca Levy， draws on her ground-breaking research to show how age beliefs can be improved so they benefit all aspects of the aging process， including the way genes operate and the extension of life expectancy by 7。5 years。
The often-surprising results of Levy's science offer stunning revelations about the mind-body connection。 She demonstrates that many health problems formerly considered to be entirely due to the aging process， such as memory loss， hearing decline， and cardiovascular events， are instead influenced by the negative age beliefs that dominate in the US and other ageist countries。 It's time for all of us to rethink aging and Breaking the Age Code shows us how to do just that。
Based on her innovative research， stories that range from pop culture to the corporate boardroom， and her own life， Levy shows how age beliefs shape all aspects of our lives。 She also presents a variety of fascinating people who have benefited from positive age beliefs as well as an entire town that has flourished with these beliefs。
Breaking the Age Code is a landmark work， presenting not only easy-to-follow techniques for improving age beliefs so they can contribute to successful aging， but also a blueprint to reduce structural ageism for lasting change and an age-just society。
The often-surprising results of Levy's science offer stunning revelations about the mind-body connection。 She demonstrates that many health problems formerly considered to be entirely due to the aging process， such as memory loss， hearing decline， and cardiovascular events， are instead influenced by the negative age beliefs that dominate in the US and other ageist countries。 It's time for all of us to rethink aging and Breaking the Age Code shows us how to do just that。
Based on her innovative research， stories that range from pop culture to the corporate boardroom， and her own life， Levy shows how age beliefs shape all aspects of our lives。 She also presents a variety of fascinating people who have benefited from positive age beliefs as well as an entire town that has flourished with these beliefs。
Breaking the Age Code is a landmark work， presenting not only easy-to-follow techniques for improving age beliefs so they can contribute to successful aging， but also a blueprint to reduce structural ageism for lasting change and an age-just society。
Reviews
David
，
If you want the expanded version of Chapter 10 of David Robson's The Expectation Effect， this is it。Becca Levy is a leading researcher in the fields of social gerontology and psychology of aging。However， this book is not just about how expectations/beliefs about aging tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies。 It is about ageism - stereotypes （how we think）， prejudice （how we feel） and discrimination （how we act） towards others or oneself based on age。It is both a manual on how to change our own age If you want the expanded version of Chapter 10 of David Robson's The Expectation Effect， this is it。Becca Levy is a leading researcher in the fields of social gerontology and psychology of aging。However， this book is not just about how expectations/beliefs about aging tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies。 It is about ageism - stereotypes （how we think）， prejudice （how we feel） and discrimination （how we act） towards others or oneself based on age。It is both a manual on how to change our own ageist beliefs as well as how to engage in social action to dismantle systemic ageism。The appendices alone are worth the price of the book providing exercises to change our mindset， debunking negative age stereotypes and suggestions to end structural ageism。This is an important book that opened my eyes to how society/culture has shaped my own ageism！ 。。。more
Patcee
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In my 60’s， I took a one and only amateur theatre role， wrote a novel， made a pile of retail-worthy jewellery and officiated weddings for nine years。 I never， ever thought about my age。 My dentist even asked me what I’d do next。 Life was great。 Except for a silent heart attack。 When my 70th birthday came， I was devastated。 I felt old…not quite over the hill。 I discovered Goodreads。 But I was still struggling。 That is， until I took a look to do a review of this book my husband brought home。 Becca In my 60’s， I took a one and only amateur theatre role， wrote a novel， made a pile of retail-worthy jewellery and officiated weddings for nine years。 I never， ever thought about my age。 My dentist even asked me what I’d do next。 Life was great。 Except for a silent heart attack。 When my 70th birthday came， I was devastated。 I felt old…not quite over the hill。 I discovered Goodreads。 But I was still struggling。 That is， until I took a look to do a review of this book my husband brought home。 Becca Levy’s Breaking the Age Code can change your life。 What an eye-opener！ She addresses the concept that our beliefs about aging can add 7 1/2 years of time to a healthier， happier life-span。 With scientifically-proven studies and applicable， emphatic anecdotes， the positive connection between mind and body is shown to be powerful。 But ageism* is breaking us down and threatening that positive outlook。 Baby boomers are split stereotypes: those who look and behave as seniors and those who carry on as active， age-defying adults。 Influenced by numerous environmental factors， it’s easy to get sucked in to negative thoughts of aging。 However， with a proactive mind-set， it’s possible to fight back。 My husband turned 75， saw ads for a retirement residence and became convinced we should move in！ We checked things out and fortunately， we shut the door on that idea。 I never noticed before reading this book， but marketing targeted at boomers is an example of ageism， in this case， obviously highlighting growing old。 But…inevitable aging or positive living？Although the author is guilty of the common error in non-fiction of reframed repetition to make a point， let’s make a list of topics featured in the book where our optimism is subtly influenced by a positive or negative slant on ageism towards seniors。Think about it。 This is real。* medical specialists * pharmaceuticals * anti-aging products* functional health* food and nutrition* safety and mobility aids* housing* activities in care homes* speech and vocabulary* exercise and sport* pop culture* media， newspaper， magazine articles* entertainment * television， film， documentaries* role models* technology* advertising* clothing， hair styles* travel destinations* senior discounts* continuing education* libraries* inter generational activityRead this book and aim for a positive outlook on life。BONUS DEFINITION*ageism Ageism refers to the stereotypes （how we think）， prejudice （how we feel） and discrimination （how we act） towards others or oneself based on age。 。。。more
Cathi Davis
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The main takeaway is that negative age thoughts/stereotypes actually make you age faster。 Her solution。 The ABC method。 Awareness Blame Challenge is interesting but…I am not as optimistic as she is。 Awareness。 I think we have a very long way to go and we still seem to be blaming the elderly。 The growth of Botox treatments among 20 year olds？ Moving in the wrong direction。 Also she highlights Greensboro VT as the ideal senior community A mix of ages all actively involved in the community etc nice The main takeaway is that negative age thoughts/stereotypes actually make you age faster。 Her solution。 The ABC method。 Awareness Blame Challenge is interesting but…I am not as optimistic as she is。 Awareness。 I think we have a very long way to go and we still seem to be blaming the elderly。 The growth of Botox treatments among 20 year olds？ Moving in the wrong direction。 Also she highlights Greensboro VT as the ideal senior community A mix of ages all actively involved in the community etc nice。 But…do you want to live in a diverse community？ This isn’t it。 Why are walkable cities with clean air and moderate temperatures so unaffordable。 The elderly grab their housing appreciation and move。 Sigh。 。。。more
Heather
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Good message， but very repetitive。
Shirley Conley
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This book was in AARP magazine as a recommended read。 I highly recommend it no matter your age。 It deals with changing age perceptions which can mean a positive change in your own life。 One disturbing statistic - less than 2% of doctors are trained to treat anyone over 50！ Although pediatric is required for all medical students， there are no requirements for geriatric training。 There are lots of good advice on overcoming ageism。
Cordelia
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First half of this book was compelling and fascinating。 Like many non-fiction books these days， the last few chapters felt like filler to reach an acceptable length for publishing。 Still 100% worth reading！
Lawrence Nah
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Gist - develop positive age beliefs to live longer。 End age discrimination。 Tadaaa。 Saved you 8hrs。
Kathy
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This wasn’t exactly what I expected—by the title， I imagined a book more focused on how positive age beliefs impact your own quality of life and longevity。 To be clear， these topics are touched upon。 But the main focus of the book is ending structural ageism， certainly a noble and important endeavor that can result in real change。 Despite it not meeting my initial expectations， I learned a lot and have had my own ageist beliefs challenged。 An important work and message， I hope more people of all This wasn’t exactly what I expected—by the title， I imagined a book more focused on how positive age beliefs impact your own quality of life and longevity。 To be clear， these topics are touched upon。 But the main focus of the book is ending structural ageism， certainly a noble and important endeavor that can result in real change。 Despite it not meeting my initial expectations， I learned a lot and have had my own ageist beliefs challenged。 An important work and message， I hope more people of all ages are exposed to the ideas presented here。 。。。more
Donna Rosenheck
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Important to again be reminded that the "images in our head" the "pictures in our mind" play such a vital role in our experiences。 Longitudinal study from Ohio shows that age beliefs stole or added almost 8 years to lives。 We seniors are often complicit in stereotyping old age。 Ageism is alive and well in all aspects of our American society。 Really a double whammy if you are female， even more so if you are person of color。 Take a look at the list of false age stereotypes。 。 。 Important to again be reminded that the "images in our head" the "pictures in our mind" play such a vital role in our experiences。 Longitudinal study from Ohio shows that age beliefs stole or added almost 8 years to lives。 We seniors are often complicit in stereotyping old age。 Ageism is alive and well in all aspects of our American society。 Really a double whammy if you are female， even more so if you are person of color。 Take a look at the list of false age stereotypes。 。 。 。。。more
Cynthia Leet
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I am aging myself and have had my parents pass on。 I took care of my mother in her last years，thankfully without dementia， though she was frail。 I think that care-giving taught me and my children much about the end of life， its cares， weakness and about giving。 I am now in the position of my mother in respect to aging， dealing with my own disease and weakness。 My children act out the care-giving and concern I gave my mother。 I cannot but feel strength emanates from my earlier life—positivity， ki I am aging myself and have had my parents pass on。 I took care of my mother in her last years，thankfully without dementia， though she was frail。 I think that care-giving taught me and my children much about the end of life， its cares， weakness and about giving。 I am now in the position of my mother in respect to aging， dealing with my own disease and weakness。 My children act out the care-giving and concern I gave my mother。 I cannot but feel strength emanates from my earlier life—positivity， kindness and vitality。 With aging， I want to live my values。 。。。more
John Rogers
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Breaking the Age Code is burdened with both the demands of scientific rigor and the need to support the author's thesis that “negative age beliefs that dominate in the US and other ageist countries。” （Amazon blurb） And it apparently aims to do so in a way that will appeal to mass market readers。 In other words， it sets out to accomplish a nearly impossible task。It is hard to write a book on science aimed at the popular market。 Science is all about detail and logical exposition， and good science Breaking the Age Code is burdened with both the demands of scientific rigor and the need to support the author's thesis that “negative age beliefs that dominate in the US and other ageist countries。” （Amazon blurb） And it apparently aims to do so in a way that will appeal to mass market readers。 In other words， it sets out to accomplish a nearly impossible task。It is hard to write a book on science aimed at the popular market。 Science is all about detail and logical exposition， and good science is generally messy。 We saw that as we watched science play out in real time and headlines during the first year of COVID。 Explaining science accurately in the language of average readers is difficult， and few are good at it （Stephen Hawking springs to mind）。 A common approach is to break the complex story into nuggets of information and to use personal stories to humanize difficult-to-digest data This reaches bottom in Internet sales pitches of health products that keep the reader stringing along until the price tag finally comes clear （“but today you get two for one”）。 But it’s a tried and true technique that has made self-help books popular。 Which makes it an editor’s go-to option。 I can’t help but imagine the meeting between the author and her agent or publisher:Pub: Doctor， what an exciting project you have brought us。 Every oldster will want a copy。 Doc: Yes， we are excited to present our research—and， uhh， "oldster" is an example of the endemic ageism in—Pub: （nods impatiently） We’ll need somewhat more， uhh， punchy text。 You see， people want to read stories， not just facts and logic。 People … we need real people。 And famous people or unusual stories。Doc: But single instances don’t make the case。 The 100-year-old Japanese woman is an outlier， as is the iron nun。Pub: Yeah， but people will love them。 They can relate to them。 Doc: But the data …Pub: You mean footnotes， bibliography， that kind of stuff？ Definitely convincing。 But too complex。 Basically， you need to cut a lot of the rationale， get to the point quicker。 But I like the graphs， particularly the ones with straight lines。 Worry not。 This is a killer concept。 I’ll have Marketing work through the text … I think they’ve got Morgan Freeman on the hook for an interview。That's not to belittle the research that went into this， and the old guy in me is tempted to believe the conclusion （oops。 Ageism。） Had it been presented in 100 pages or so with all the bibliography attached， it would have been strong。 But the selective presentation， for example， of the glories of centenarian worship in Japan without much mention of the fish and vegetables based diet and low level of obesity in the periods studied raised questions。 Yes， there was passing mention of epigenetics， but more or less as a way of excusing the need to address that fish and vegetable diet。 Larding the text with examples of remarkable old people （yes， there are old healthy old people， and the ones mentioned are statistical outliers） makes good reading but poor science。 Levy notes （p。 95） the average age of Nobel Laureates is 65 （so， there！）。 Surely she knows Nobels usually arrive as the result of work being evaluated over decades。 She goes on to as support for old age being “not the result of a single gene” （to which the appropriate scientific answer is “Duh”） and is presumably aware that one of the breakthroughs in the study that supports her point is that of telomeres， but possibly unaware that the original research was done in 1975 and resulted in a Nobel thirty-four years later in 2009。 Many of the hard sciences are this way。All in all， a lot of interesting research that the author has made available through notes and bibliography， but which is diluted by selective presentation。 One can only assume that an editor without much scientific background made cuts and tucks to make the idea more “punchy。” But that just may be the suspicious nature of an older reader at work。 。。。more
Kathryn
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This should be required reading for everyone regardless of age — especially medical professionals， marketing professionals， Hollywood， and “influencers。” Ageism creeps in everywhere， where you are not expecting it， and where you don’t see it。 I was looking for birthday cards this week， I could not believe how many ridiculed aging。 And even I have been guilty of using the phrase “senior moments。“ I even had good role models – – a grandmother who was still rototilling her yard in her eighties; my This should be required reading for everyone regardless of age — especially medical professionals， marketing professionals， Hollywood， and “influencers。” Ageism creeps in everywhere， where you are not expecting it， and where you don’t see it。 I was looking for birthday cards this week， I could not believe how many ridiculed aging。 And even I have been guilty of using the phrase “senior moments。“ I even had good role models – – a grandmother who was still rototilling her yard in her eighties; my mother who was still actively gardening and sparing verbally with all comers in her 80’s。 Yet I’ve succumbed to a lot of the ageist beliefs that marketers are constantly beating us with on aging and how to avoid it （especially geared toward women）。 No more。 Side note: I listened to this on audible as opposed to reading。Addendum: so far two doctors to whom I’ve mentioned this book have written it down to read 👍 。。。more
Aaron
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Interesting stuff。
Julie
，
Ms。 Levy's research is very interesting and could have long-term implications for our society that has an ever-growing senior population。 Her alliances with progressive movements seems at odds with what she is trying to accomplish。 Progressives such as Ibram X Kendi and his ilk are out to dismantle tradional family roles and values。 Foundational cultural rot and the de-emphasis of the family exacerbates ageism because there is mechanism teaching children to respect elders， or anyone else for tha Ms。 Levy's research is very interesting and could have long-term implications for our society that has an ever-growing senior population。 Her alliances with progressive movements seems at odds with what she is trying to accomplish。 Progressives such as Ibram X Kendi and his ilk are out to dismantle tradional family roles and values。 Foundational cultural rot and the de-emphasis of the family exacerbates ageism because there is mechanism teaching children to respect elders， or anyone else for that matter。 The delineation and focus on our differences is what drives these "-isms" and is the basis of the tension between and among groups。 。。。more
Elizabeth Guilday
，
An important read for most Americans
Susan
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a lot to absorb， all good， full of insight。
Amy Lively
，
The author presents some really important and interesting ideas about ageism and how our “age beliefs” can impact our longevity。 She certainly increased my awareness of how I think of my own abilities and， especially， how I view people decades older than me。 The book did get a bit redundant so I found myself skimming over sections at the end。
Joanne
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Bit too much of a thesis - so much about the studies behind the concepts about maximizing life as one ages。 Wish a bit of the focus of the book was less about living longer and more about quality living -- serving those around us， engaging our neighbors and those in our community， and improving the world we live in。 Did like the awareness exercises -- wish could find more ways of removing negative age stereotypes but think we don't see much of these in our home as we don't watch much TV or see m Bit too much of a thesis - so much about the studies behind the concepts about maximizing life as one ages。 Wish a bit of the focus of the book was less about living longer and more about quality living -- serving those around us， engaging our neighbors and those in our community， and improving the world we live in。 Did like the awareness exercises -- wish could find more ways of removing negative age stereotypes but think we don't see much of these in our home as we don't watch much TV or see magazine ads。 。。。more
Julia
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Essential reading。 Scientific and evidence-based as well as personal and relatable。 A quick and easy read。 Not to mention 3 Appendices with tips and tools for dismantling age bias from the micro to the macro levels。 Practical as all get out。 Will be recommending this book to everyone I know and continuing to practice the "ABCs" and beyond。Let's do this。 Essential reading。 Scientific and evidence-based as well as personal and relatable。 A quick and easy read。 Not to mention 3 Appendices with tips and tools for dismantling age bias from the micro to the macro levels。 Practical as all get out。 Will be recommending this book to everyone I know and continuing to practice the "ABCs" and beyond。Let's do this。 。。。more
Sue Ronnenkamp
，
THRILLED to finally have Becca Levy’s research and findings about aging well all in one place！ I’ve been bringing her research about the impact of our beliefs on how we age into my aging education work for many years now。 So to discover this book was a real find for me。 Highly recommend this wonderful resource for any and all who want to experience a full and meaningful later life。 This book is accessible for all。 Thanks Becca Levy！
Ceil
，
Good but incomplete discussion of the impact of age stereotypes on aging。 To a large degree， getting old is as great or awful as your culture tells you it is。 Doesn't discuss any of the age-thriving organizations working today （shout out to Encore）。 Good but incomplete discussion of the impact of age stereotypes on aging。 To a large degree， getting old is as great or awful as your culture tells you it is。 Doesn't discuss any of the age-thriving organizations working today （shout out to Encore）。 。。。more
Jake Zavracky
，
I can't believe how ageist I've been， seriously。 No more！ I can't believe how ageist I've been， seriously。 No more！ 。。。more
LDS
，
The first part of the book focusing on her research was interesting。 Unfortunately， the larger part of the book focused on social justice and starting a movement。 I would recommend Ellen J Langer's work and books， e。g。， Counterclockwise， well ahead of Ms。 Levy's。 The first part of the book focusing on her research was interesting。 Unfortunately， the larger part of the book focused on social justice and starting a movement。 I would recommend Ellen J Langer's work and books， e。g。， Counterclockwise， well ahead of Ms。 Levy's。 。。。more
Marie
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More important than gender， income， social background， loneliness or functional health， was how people thought about and approach the idea of old age。Senior moment first appeared in print in 1997， in a piece in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in which a columnist quoted a vacationing banker who had forgotten the score of his ongoing tennis match。Over 90% of Deaf individuals are born to hearing parents， so when young Deaf people meet older Deaf people， they often develop admiration and often More important than gender， income， social background， loneliness or functional health， was how people thought about and approach the idea of old age。Senior moment first appeared in print in 1997， in a piece in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in which a columnist quoted a vacationing banker who had forgotten the score of his ongoing tennis match。Over 90% of Deaf individuals are born to hearing parents， so when young Deaf people meet older Deaf people， they often develop admiration and often form strong ties with these role models with whom they share an identity。Those over the age of 50 control 77% of the total net worth of US households and spend more on travel， recreation and personal care products than any other age group， even though they only make up 32% of the population。It matters less when and what you do than that you build up positive age beliefs and trust that your body will respond in kind。 。。。more
Emily Kretunski
，
Slightly repetitive， but overall great message。 I find myself being more self conscious about my language when talking about older people after reading this book。 This book has made me realize that even if its a joke it can be harmful especially when talking to children。 This made me sad because my grandma was the most important person in the world to me！！！
Lallen
，
Put This on Your Reading ListAs we approached the baseball field a neighbor’s child greeted my husband with “Hey Old Man”。 No reproach from her parents but I had no problem saying “That is an ageist remark”。 Her mom laughed and I didn’t。 Dr。 Levy has written an easy to read book on aging and how societies influence our well being。 I particularly like the exercises at the end of the book that have helped me to examine my own age beliefs and ways to make a change。 Wish I had read this 40 years ago Put This on Your Reading ListAs we approached the baseball field a neighbor’s child greeted my husband with “Hey Old Man”。 No reproach from her parents but I had no problem saying “That is an ageist remark”。 Her mom laughed and I didn’t。 Dr。 Levy has written an easy to read book on aging and how societies influence our well being。 I particularly like the exercises at the end of the book that have helped me to examine my own age beliefs and ways to make a change。 Wish I had read this 40 years ago。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
An interesting and thought provoking book that tends to read more like a very long magazine article than a book。 It is written in a thoroughly accessible manner， conversational and friendly in tone， rather than research-oriented。 The author， Becca Levy， presents her scientific credentials and then writes a book less like a college course and more like a TV show。 I might have wished for more heft in the book， it felt a little light at times。 But it moves quickly and is engaging。 There is plenty t An interesting and thought provoking book that tends to read more like a very long magazine article than a book。 It is written in a thoroughly accessible manner， conversational and friendly in tone， rather than research-oriented。 The author， Becca Levy， presents her scientific credentials and then writes a book less like a college course and more like a TV show。 I might have wished for more heft in the book， it felt a little light at times。 But it moves quickly and is engaging。 There is plenty to reflect upon for readers of any age。 I received my copy from the publisher through edelweiss。 。。。more
Abra Kurt
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