A Swedish researcher has said that the differences among human beings become greater as they age.

Older people are usually thought of as a rather homogenous group -- ill, lonely and unable to take care of themselves, says Bo Eriksson, a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

Eriksson further said that however, differences among people actually grow with age and stereotypes of the aged are not based on reality.

Eriksson said in a statement, "The perception of old people having similar interests, values and lifestyles can lead to age discrimination. However, I found that, as people age, these stereotypes become more and more untrue."

Eriksson studied the 70th to 90th years of life of participants in the H-70 study -- a group of randomly selected individuals born in 1901 and 1902 and tracked over their entire lifetimes.

The study found social mechanisms strengthened one's identity, helping maintain self-esteem through successful responses to challenges and promoting conversational support that may help promote longer life.

Eriksson said, "Taken together, these mechanisms also contribute to increased everyday activity, which has some beneficial physical effects." (With Inputs from Agencies)