Older people who embrace positive stereotypes about aging are more likely than those who hold negative stereotypes to recover after suffering from disability, a study by the Yale School of Public Health has found.A positive outlook goes a long way in healing.

Lead researcher Becca R. Levy and Yale colleagues showed that, of two groups with differing views of aging, the individuals in the positive age stereotype group were 44 percent more likely to recover from a severe disability. Participants included 598 individuals who were at least 70 years old and free of disability at the start of the study. They were selected from a health plan in greater New Haven, Connecticut.

The association between positive age stereotypes and recovery from disability in older persons has not been previously studied. The findings suggest that interventions to promote positive age stereotypes could extend independent living later in life.