5 Ways To Handle Patronizing People by By MARYA SMITH @ Prevention

ver bristle over the way a young salesclerk seems to talk to you like you’re...a toddler? Unfortunately, you’re probably not imagining her patronizing tone. According to recent research reported in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, young adults give directions differently to 65-year-olds than they do to 21-year-olds. In particular, they speak to older adults more slowly and in higher pitched voices—two speech patterns associated with being patronizing.

“When adults talk to you the way they do to a two-year-old, they’re presuming you’re not fully competent, and that’s demeaning,” says study co-author Jessica Hehman, PhD, assistant professor of psychology and director of the Psychology of Aging Lab at the University of Redlands.

“Ageism is pervasive in our culture, and can be detrimental to a person’s wellbeing,” Hehman says. “And yet, unlike other ‘isms, it comes from a good place in people’s hearts, from wanting to help.”

But whether or not that younger woman knows she’s putting you down, it still feels crummy when it happens. Whatever the scenario, these expert tips will have you handling it with grace and good will....

See scenarios and how to handle them @ Prevention