It’s Been 50 Years Since ‘Jaws’—Here Are 4 Surprising Life Lessons We’ve Learned From the Iconic Film
How a movie about a killer shark actually offers valuable life lessons for growing older
When the film was released 50 years ago—yes, 50 years ago—Jaws might have been one of the scariest films anyone had ever seen. In 1975, the enormous killer shark that was terrifying the residents of Amity Island with its sharp teeth and the haunting music that accompanied it was just about one of the creepiest things to be seen in a film.
But five decades later, with impressive CGI, or computer-generated imagery, improved clarity and a few more modern techniques, Jaws may not feel quite as horrifying as it once was. But the classic film can still give you a few lessons on aging that could help you in your day-to-day life.
AARP writer Eric Spitznagel compiled a list of the best secrets they learned from growing up with Jaws as a classic film and how it can help us as we age.
1. Do the thing that scares you
Chasing down a killer shark is hardly anyone’s dream come true, but especially Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), who is not a fan of the ocean, let alone sharks. But when his town was being tormented, he stepped in to save his residents.
As AARP author Eric Spitznagel says, “We might not be dealing with man-eating sharks, but when you hit middle age, you have to face down things that can seem just as scary. And just like Brody, you may discover you’re braver and more resilient than your worried brain had you believe, and fully capable of meeting whatever challenge is coming.”
2. Tune into the experts
If the police chief and the town had listened to the shark expert, Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), they might’ve been able to avoid a lot of the death and destruction caused by the actual killer shark. But, alas, when someone claims to know something you don’t want to hear, it can be hard to hear it.
Oftentimes, life is made much easier when you leave things in the hands of the experts, and that applies to aging. If your air conditioner breaks, it’s probably simpler to consult someone who actually knows how to fix air conditioners. Spitznagel explains, “The wisdom that comes with age is realizing that you don’t always have to be right, and you’ll live a lot longer if you trust the advice of people who get their information from years of studying and research.”
3. Find common ground with others
In today’s day and age, it can be hard to connect with people who, on paper, seem worlds away from you. As represented in Jaws, Quint (Robert Shaw), Brody and Hooper have hardly anything in common. But when they sit down and swap stories about their lives, they find they’re not so different. This is a lesson you can take into your own life: listen to other people and find a way to connect. More times than not, we have things in common with many people around us.
“Every single person you disagree with has their own tale of hardship,” Spitznagel explained. “If not scars, then at least a few calluses to mark the years they’ve lived through and the challenges they’ve met. Once you start to listen and see the whole person with their tapestry of beautiful scars, you realize we’re all basically the same.”
4. Trust your instincts—even when it’s hard
This may be one of the most important lessons of all and it’s not just because Jaws has a good message about it. As we grow up and grow older, trusting our instincts becomes a more familiar feeling, but when you’re young, fitting in with the cooler crowd is more the way to go.
In the film, the first shark victim is a young girl who went skinny dipping at night. But the person she was going with decided to back out and stay on land instead. Had he gone in with her, they both would’ve been shark bait. Trusting your instincts instead of trying to hang with the cool crowd can actually save your life (in more instances than with just deadly sharks).
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