Well, one netizen had the idea to ask older adults which current social norms and things they find strange. The user u/—–Diana—– wrote: “What’s socially normal now that you disagree with?” The people on r/AskOldPeople shared some things they’re not entirely on board with. And their answers are actually insightful, not the old-man-yells-at-cloud kind.
To know more about the ‘Grumpy Old People’ myth and why older people tend to disagree with modern social norms, Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Julie Erickson, a clinical psychologist and author of The Aging Well Workbook for Anxiety and Depression.
We also managed to have a conversation with the Redditor who started the discussion, u/—–Diana—–. The user from Romania was kind enough to tell us why she was curious about what older adults think of today’s social norms. Read both interviews below!
Sufficient-Grand3746 , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
“Each generation has ‘cohort beliefs,’ which are beliefs held by people born at a similar time period,” Dr. Erickson tells Bored Panda. “These beliefs are shaped by a variety of different social, political, cultural, environmental, technological, and economic factors of the time.”
But to say that “all elderly people hate technology” would be too simplistic and untrue. And, honestly, pretty ageist. There’s much more nuance to it than that. “It’s important to recognize that there is tremendous individual variability in the extent to which older adults accept new social norms,” Dr. Erickson observes. “Some older adults are quite capable of evolving their worldview. It’s an ageist assumption that older adults are stuck in their ways or more resistant to change.”
Highway-Organic , Ivan Samkov/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report
spyder_rico , RepentAnd SeekChristJesus / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
When the world’s changing so fast and in so many ways, it can become harder and harder to keep up with current trends. And that includes not only knowing who the most popular celebrities are or what the latest fashion trend is. It’s more about things like what words or phrases might be inappropriate to use.
Amesaskew , Julia M Cameron / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Myrindyl , Christina Morillo / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
BloopityBlue , Alexander Grey / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
“We forget about everything we gain as we get older: wisdom, maturity, emotional stability, a clearly defined sense of self, not sweating the small stuff as much, and plenty of experience solving problems. It’s about finding a way to use these strengths in a changing world,” she explains.
ktappe , Charlotte May/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Reneeisme , Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
MissHibernia , Nashua Volquez-Young/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Flaxscript42 , Jose Francisco Fernandez Saura/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report
stealth_bohemian , Yan Krukau/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report
larryhood35 , Dan Smedley / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
Th3TruthIs0utTh3r3 , Jessica Da Rosa / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
aprehensivebad42 , Eliott Reyna / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
CatCiaoSki , Marco Oriolesi / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
theora55 , Daniel Thiele / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
meddit_rod , René Ranisch / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
HereWeGoAgain-1979 , Monstera Production / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Learn_as_ya_go_ Report
WildIris2021 , Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 / unsplash(not the actual photo) Report
My_fair_ladies1872 Report
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anon , Sebastian Enrique / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
nettie_r , Tim Gouw / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
writer978 Report
PicoRascar , Plann/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report
catdoctor , PNW Production / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
WoodsColt , Frames For Your Heart / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report
Th3TruthIs0utTh3r3 Report
ladeedah1988 Report
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MrsChickenPam , Helena Lopes / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Th3TruthIs0utTh3r3 , fauxels / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
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Dangerous_Pattern_92 , Anna Tarazevich / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
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