How bad is Biden’s age, really?

I have a Master’s Degree in Political Psychology. I figured now would be as good a time as any to put it to work.

Basically, this interdisciplinary field studies the political process, using a psychological perspective. It asks and answers questions related to motivation, perception, polarization, attitudes, and media effects. I’ve studied many aspects of political psychology that relate to elites and political leaders, specifically. Today, I am going to impart some of this knowledge onto you, dear reader, in order to better understand President Biden’s current plight.

The most striking and obvious point of contention for President Biden is his fitness for office. There have been growing concerns in the past weeks an months about his longevity, especially as it relates to his ability to communicate and govern effectively. For Democrats, that number is somewhere in between 25-30% and it’s about double for the electorate at large. More than two in three Americans believes that his age alone makes him too old to hold public office. 

Age-related biases (or ageism) is well-documented in Western culture. In fact, the APA cites it as one of the ‘last’ socially acceptable forms of prejudice. Research has demonstrated that ageism impacts the population at all levels, although the form that prejudice takes becomes increasingly implicit the older one gets. Although there are legitimate declines that come as a result of aging, especially in thinking and attention many of these impacts are not very significant or noticeable. Also, many cognitive processes actually improve with age, despite popular belief, such as vocabulary and reasoning. 

So, how legitimate are the concerns about Biden’s age? It depends who you ask or how you look at it. From the standpoint of lifespan, I think there’s the greatest level of threat. Life expectancy for men in the US is just under 75 and Biden is well older than that, at 81. Of course, this is a general average that doesn’t apply to an individual, as the average shoe size or age of first marriage can’t be compared to the life events of individual people’s feet or marital status. However, research investigating the life expectancy of the elderly has found that 80 year-olds can expect to live another 8-10 years. So, this would suggest that Biden would make it through a second term in office. However still, it’s useful to think about the factors themselves that can predict mortality, especially as this is again, a statistical plurality. One of the few studies of research studies of predictive measures of mortality risk found that cognition was found to be one of the most significant indicators of death, along with comorbidity. From this standpoint, the outlook on Biden’s life expectancy appears more concerning. 

Without more detailed health information about Biden, it’s difficult to determine a precise risk factor, biologically. From the standpoint of comorbidity, for example, we can’t make an informed judgement without the knowledge of what diseases or conditions he has been diagnosed with, if any at all. From a psychological standpoint, however, the implicit age biases are almost impossible to overcome. Even determining the impacts of ageism itself is a very tall order, because of how implicit bias seeps into our attitudes and beliefs in ways that aren’t even conscious. Biden’s appearance alone, which to anyone with eyes, it’s obvious to that he is more frail looking than he was three years earlier. Much was made of the lower volume and less clear annunciation that was present during the debate, which begs the question; “Is it legitimate decline or is it ageism?” When it comes to his trailing off, speaking in fragments, or putting together statements that are incomprehensible (i.e. “We finally beat Medicare,”), that however, can be tied to cognitive function. As I discussed, this is actually a sign for concern, because of the risk that hat condition has to mortality, according to research. Granted though, there is a gap in the literature about morality risk as it applies to adults who are already in their 80’s, so even signs like this have to be taken with a grain of salt.

This implicit bias must intersect with other aspects of politics; polarization, media effects, and voting behavior are all influenced by these. What does this mean for President Biden’s standing or chances at re-election? In the next installment of this series, I will begin to respond to these questions.