Despite well-established cultural nuances regarding the perception of aging, there is a paucity of research specifically examining how different cultures distinguish between normal aging processes and pathological conditions in older adults. The present study aimed to offer insights into the socio-cultural influences on this distinction. It addressed this gap by comparing the perception of 516 French and 210 Congolese individuals. A specially designed 55-item questionnaire depicting various situations involving older individuals was administered in paper format. Participants assessed each situation on a Likert-type scale as indicative of either normal or pathological aging. The situations depicted cognitive, behavioral, and emotional changes commonly associated with neurocognitive disorders as an illustration of pathological aging. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and linear regression modeling. In line with our hypothesis, French participants rated more severely the situations compared to Congolese participants. Moreover, French participants performed better in differentiating between situations illustrating normal or pathological aging, while Congolese individuals considered all situations as reflecting normal aging. This research showed that perception of normal or pathological behavior in aging is not universally shared across cultures. It also revealed that the general population lacks scientific knowledge on normal and pathological aging, outlining a need for improvement regarding public education. Differences between populations also suggest that public education should be specifically tailored and contextualized to improve knowledge on aging. We encourage further studies on African populations from a neuropsychological perspective for better representativeness of the human species and to facilitate access to unbiased scientific knowledge.

Uncovering the factors that contribute to sustained healthy ageing is of significant interest as countries move towards ageing populations. Maintaining cognitive and physical fitness in later life is known to be influenced by factors including diet, physical activity, social connections and resilience. Healthy ageing is the lifelong process of developing and maintaining functional ability (the combination of an individual's physical and mental capacities, their living environments and the interactions among them) that enables wellbeing in older age. Leveraging on data from a longitudinal ageing study in Malaysia, Healthy Agers were interviewed to determine how their life experiences may have shaped their outlook and lifestyle choices to support their ageing process. Inductive thematic analysis following in-depth interviews revealed that these participants attributed their sustained health to four main themes; a) having a life's role and purpose, b) developing and maintaining independence, c) drive to maintain health and d) coping strategies and resilience. This study is especially insightful as it offers insights into the lived experiences of older adults born at a time of significant sociopolitical upheaval in a low-income country, highlighting the adaptive skills required to navigate major societal changes. As the first study to document insights from a select group of Malaysian Healthy Agers, lessons learnt can help to inform public health initiatives, highlighting how sustained health-related efforts and positive outlook in life is important to ageing well.