Browse through birthday cards at almost any card shop and you’ll get the message, even if it’s delivered in the spirit of humor. Getting older is a negative experience. In birthday cards for those turning 50, 40, and even as young as 30, you’ll see jokes about lost memory, wrinkles, sagging, senility, declining sexual ability, dentures, and immobilization to name a few.

Whether you’re young, middle-aged, or old, it’s difficult to escape negative stereotypes about aging in our society. What many people don’t realize is that they unconsciously accept these stereotypes decades before becoming old, without questioning their validity. When they reach old age, the stereotypes become self-relevant—something that might actually have an impact on how long they live.