"The Funny Thing About Growing Old"

(The Human Experience, Stanford University) Think you know what the elderly are really talking about when we're not around? Apparently, I wasn't aware of the true topics of elderly Asian women's behind-the-scenes conversations. Click here to find out.

Yoshiko Matsumoto's research of the dialogue that takes place between elderly Japanese women has served to dispel many of the stereotypes we have of this age group and culture. Instead of the mundane subjects one might expect these women to discuss, Matsumoto has found through tape-recorded conversations that subjects run the gamut from death to physical attraction. Wow.

Appearances are often deceiving. The "funny thing" is that often times the conclusions we make about others simply based on their age or culture couldn't be more false. How do we avoid these misconceptions as we delve into the study of age and aging?