Will to live in older people’s medical decisions: immediate and delayed effects of aging stereotypes

This research explores the duration of age stereotype priming effects on individuals’

will to live when faced with a medical terminal illness decision. Study 1 established

the content of the stereotype of the older age group in Portugal. Study 2 tested the

effects of priming positive or negative age stereotypes on older and younger individuals’

will to live, immediately after priming or after a delay. Results showed significant

effects of stereotype valence on older people’s will to live. As expected,

immediate and delayed will-to-live scores were both lower in the negative than in the

positive condition. In contrast, among younger people there were no significant

effects of stereotype valence. These findings demonstrate the robustness of these

types of unconscious influences on older people’s fundamental decisions.