You really are only as old as you feel, or as old as you think you are (i.e., what your mind perceives). Notice how the title refers to how “young” you are? Watch out for answering the question “how old are you?” with a number – because that alone would imply you are “old.” Instead, answer I’m “X” years young!
That’s what 80-year young bodybuilder Ernestine Shepard did when she was interviewed on the Harry Connick Jr. show recently. When asked what keeps her looking young she said: “Exercise, eating healthy and drinking lots of water.” So simple, really.
While that’s important, I’ll argue it’s more her mindset than anything else–and science confirms A recent study has found that you’re only as old as you feel you are. The study found that if you believe you are younger than you actually are, then your body will look, act, and feel as if it’s the age you feel! Those who felt their age were more likely to die younger – and people who felt older were at the greatest risk.
Psychologists say self-perceived age is a quick and easy way to predict longevity. They claim that feeling younger than your actual age could be a combination of healthy lifestyle factors and a greater ‘will to live.’
The study involved 6,500 older adults taking part in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, who were asked to assess how old they felt and how their death rates were analyzed over the course of several years.
The study, led by University College London (UCL) scientists, follows previous research which linked happiness and having a sense of purpose in life with a lower risk of death.
Co-author Andrew Steptoe, a British Heart Foundation Professor of Psychology, said many older people feel younger than their actual age.
“People’s judgements about how old they feel are likely influenced by a number of factors – aches and pains, serious illness, feelings of vitality, what sorts of social and physical activity we do, and so on.”
What is interesting in this study is that when we took people’s health state, mobility and functioning into account, we still found an association between feeling older than one’s real age and greater mortality over the next eight years.
So some other factors seem to be contributing to the association between how old you feel and survival. I don’t think that people should worry about this. But it’s certainly something that you should try and understand. The fact that such a quick and simple measure predicts longevity makes it worth pursuing. Perhaps these feelings tell us something that other measures of health and well being do not capture.
Of those who felt younger, 14% had died in an eight-year period compared to 25% who said they felt older. The study participants had an average chronological age of 65.8 years but their average self-perceived age was 56.8 years. Almost 70% felt three or more years younger than their actual age, while a quarter had a self-perceived age close to their real age. Around one in 20 felt more than a year older than their chronological age, says a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association – Internal Medicine.
Death rates over a follow-up period of eight years were 14.3% in adults who felt younger and 18.5% in those who felt about their actual age. The rate reached its highest level of almost 25% in those adults who felt older than they really were, according to the study results. The relationship between self-perceived age and cardiovascular death was strong but there was no link between self-perceived age and cancer death.
The report said maintaining a healthy weight and following standard health advice were typical of the healthy living behaviors that were measured. But, it said, other factors might be influential – such as greater resilience, a sense of mastery, and the will to live – among those who feel younger than their age.
In Summary: Start thinking you are younger than you are. If the perceived age has the potential to change the way your body looks, feels, and acts, then what do you have to lose? Individuals who feel older than their actual age could be plagued with health issues simply because they are subconsciously inviting them into their lives.
