Populations around the world are ageing at unprecedented rates. Yet, instead of celebrating longevity, society often treats aging like a problem to be solved. Stereotypes paint older people as frail, stubborn, forgetful, or incapable. These narratives don’t just come from media or institutions—they’re internalized, too. Many older adults begin to see themselves through this distorted lens, limiting their own sense of possibility, value, and identity.
That’s where Bar-Ilan’s Prof. Lita Ayalon’s European Research Funded (ERF) HALFLIFE project comes in.
With roughly 10 million shekels in funding, HALFLIFE aims to understand—and reduce—ageism from a deeply human and psychological perspective. But Prof. Ayalon isn’t interested in quick-fix campaigns or generic awareness slogans. Her approach is bold, nuanced, and deeply personal.
Instead of seeing older adults only as passive victims of ageism, Prof. Ayalon’s research proposes something radically different: that older individuals can also, often unknowingly, reinforce the very stereotypes and assumptions that harm them.
It’s not about blame—it’s about understanding.
This intra-group lens opens the door to a more complex and realistic view of how ageism persists: not just from the outside looking in, but also from the inside looking out. And that’s where real change begins.
The project will use a unique “intervention acceleration” method, testing various approaches in both lab and real-world settings across three countries. These interventions won’t be top-down mandates—they’ll be co-developed with older adults themselves, alongside researchers, policymakers, and professionals. The goal: create scalable, evidence-based strategies that actually work—and that can be adopted across health systems, media, workplaces, and communities.