American Views on Healthy Aging

New Research Shows Americans Are Tired of The Pressure To Fight Aging

Released ahead of National Healthy Aging Month, a survey conducted by OnePoll and Great Lakes Wellness reveals a vast majority agree that growing older is an opportunity to live a more fulfilling, and emotionally and physically healthy life.

The survey analyzed responses from 2,000 Americans 25+, and found that three-fourths (75%) of respondents want to spend less time fighting aging and more time doing things they love. The same percentage agree that age is not something to fight or fear, but rather an opportunity to live a more fulfilling, and emotionally and physically healthy life. Most (71%) claim to have seen areas of their lives improve with age, admitting that they feel more fulfilled and satisfied with their life today than when they were in their twenties. The results show a new shift in attitude is already giving rise to a movement of embracing the natural process of getting older.



In an environment where anti-aging has become the norm, consumers are bombarded daily with products, ads, conversations, and images that condition us to believe aging is something we should fight and fear. And it appears Americans have had enough. According to the survey, approximately eight in 10 Americans agree society puts too much value on appearing youthful. Seventy-seven percent of respondents agree there is a negative bias around aging or the perception of being old, and six in 10 Americans (61%) even avoid sharing their age in fear of being judged. Great Lakes Wellness is turning this narrative on its head by supporting the nutritional needs we have as we age while celebrating the journey of healthy aging, and all the advantages that come with maturity. 

 “At Great Lakes Wellness, our mission is to help lead a new, positive conversation around aging and free consumers from the idea that they need to fight this process,” said Jim Burkett, president of Great Lakes Wellness. “While ‘anti-aging’ has become the norm for quite some time, we’re starting to see a shift among Americans who realize aging is living. We want to help people spend less time worrying about a number, and instead confidently welcome their age, whatever it is, and enjoy what life is really about. Building healthy habits whether you’re in your 30’s or 80’s is critical to aging gracefully and feeling your best in each decade.” That's why we're flipping the script on negative attitudes towards aging and sharing positive stories with our "Give Aging The Bird" campaign. Learn all about it here and join the conversation with #GiveAgingTheBird.

Additional findings from the American Views on Healthy Aging survey include:

• Social Media contributes to the perception that age is something to fight with 77% respondents sharing that social media filters send the wrong message about physical appearances.
• To make some positive changes, people would opt for terms that send a more positive view of aging than the term “anti-aging” such as “healthy aging” (54%) or “aging well” (47%).
• Most respondents have seen areas of their lives improve with age (71%), such as confidence (49%), their sense of self (45%) and their relationships with family members (44%).
• Respondents are still concerned about getting older, fearing not having enough energy (39%) or changes in their appearance (38%) – so much so that half (50%) of those surveyed said they put a lot of time into fighting the appearance of aging.
• Two-thirds of respondents feel younger than they are, feeling nearly a decade younger on average.
• Those surveyed shared that the top benefits of aging are having more life experience (37%), gaining wisdom (37%) and being more confident (35%).
• Seven in 10 said they’re embracing their age, with a similar percentage sharing that getting older is not as bad as they thought it would be (69%).
• Respondents’ top choices to embrace aging are by eating well (43%), staying positive (42%) and taking vitamins and supplements (36%).