According To Research, Old People Like Reading Negative News About Youth

Kids today, they've got no appreciation for nothin... they just walk around with their Blueberries and their ePods, and give us nothin but guff... When I was a kid, we respected our elders and knew the meaning of a dollar...

Sound familiar? If you've had grandparents, great aunts and uncles or even elderly neighbours, you have have probably heard something similar. But, even though the grey-haired sound bitter and angry when speaking ill of the young, a new study published in the Journal of Communication states that they're actually enjoying themselves. Yes, old people get kicks from bashing their predecessors.

According to the joint study conducted at Ohio State University and Germany's Zeppelin University, if given a choice, men and women over the age of 50 prefer to read negative news about society's youth, rather than positive news; youth crime over youth achievement, and youth in peril rather than prospering youth. The researchers concluded that this practice helps to raise the collective self-esteem of a generation that feels, for the most part, out of touch and out numbered.

The study included 178 participants between the ages of 18 to 30 and 98 participants between the ages of 50 to 65. The participants were told to review a soon-to-be-published online magazine, and then list the stories that best grabbed their attention.

Different participants chose the same stories, however, the headlines were spun differently. For example, the same article would get two headlines, one that was more positive, the other that was more negative. One version said Visitation rights gained after daring protest: Demonstration at 100 feet high a success. While the other version read read, Visitation rights denied despite daring protest: Demonstration at 100 feet high in vain. In addition, the stories featured a photograph of a protester. Half of the articles showed a young protester, and half of the articles showed an old one.

The results? The older participants chose the story where the young protester failed. The younger participants preferred the story about their young peers, and overlooked the stories about older people altogether.

Afterwards, all of the participants, both young and old, were asked to fill out a survey where they were asked to gauge their self-esteem. All of the elderly people who chose the negative story about the younger protester, which was the vast majority, reported high feelings of self-esteem.

Go figure!

Sandra (6) Paque
		About the author:
		I am an avid aerobiciser, thigh masterer, kegel clentcher and core ball balancer. I am just like you: a curious and (mostly) motivated woman who thinks she can (and will!) lose a few before my next family wedding or beach party. I am your sister, your mother, your aunt and your daughter. I will scour the fitness and diet landscape (so you don't have to) and keep you up to date on the latest and greatest bum and thigh disappearing potions. I hope you find my articles insightful and more than anything, motivating! NOW DROP AND GIVE ME TEN!!
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