Body talk: Questioning the assumptions in cognitive age

Abstract

Abstract This paper questions the underpinning assumptions inherent in the concept of cognitive age and shows how these reflect a Western preoccupation with youthfulness. Then, arguing that attitudes to age and aging are socially constructed, it demonstrates how these are not fixed but mutable and how the demographic power of the baby boom generation may significantly alter attitudes to aging. The implications for marketers' use of cognitive age are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.