How Old is Old?
Perspectives of aging change as we age, and these perspectives are predictive
Welcome back to Age Wise, exploring the science of improving physical health and mental wellness at every stage of life. This week, I was thinking about how our perspective on aging changes as we get older, so I asked this question of my Facebook friends:
When you were in your 20s or 30s, what age seemed “old” and what did you imagine it'd be like to be "old"? And what do you think about being older now?
Below are some of the responses, several (but not all) from people who are in their 50s or 60s. Then you’ll find a little science explaining what drives our thinking on this, and what it means for our actual health and well-being as we age.
In my 20s, 50 was old. In my 30s, 60 [was old]. Now, it's just a number.”
—Kurt
I’m in my mid-30s and my mom, who’s in her mid-60s and still racing down hills on skis, does not seem old to me! I think of “old” as meaning 80+ (but I could still be convinced otherwise!)
—Elizabeth
I think I always thought of 60 being “officially old”. Still trying to figure out how to reframe that now that I’m there!
—Colleen
My sister was so much older [7 years] than me, but in a few months Mollie, Jerry and I [three siblings] will all be in our 60s. Now it feels like we’re all basically the same age
—Chip
When I was in flight training at age 17, I noted in my training diary that an instructor I flew with was "Old, as in mid-50s." Now that I'm in that decade, it doesn't feel that old anymore!
—Christine
I'm surprised by the aches and pains and extra effort to do what once was so easy! I'm sure my grandparents and parents had/have the same issues, but they didn't let on. It's not for sissies!
—Carolyn
60 was old when I was in my 20s and 30s. I’ll be 76 in a month and I’m still young!
—Mark
I remember when my mom turned 34 and I thought that was ancient. Now I’m well past that and it seems young!
—Nola
When I was young, 30 seemed old. Late teens/20's 40-50, 30's 60+....but cruising up on 60 in December, I don't FEEL old. (At least not most days! lol.) Strange how that shapes as you age.
—Michele
60 was old when I was in my 20s and 30s. I’ll be 76 in a month and I’m still young!
—Mark
I remember when my mom turned 34 and I thought that was ancient. Now I’m well past that and it seems young!
—Nola
I think old to me in my 20’s & 30’s is the same as it is now…what people have shown/show me….their actions and attitudes.
—Debra
I read long ago, most people feel that “15 years” older than they are is old… It seems it works pretty well at all ages. When we were 20, 35 seemed old. 35 - 50. Even 10 - 25.
—Kenny
Among the most compelling aspects of aging is the strange and delightfully skewed perspective most of us have of our own age, as I wrote last year:
After about age 25, most people think of themselves as younger than their chronological age. And the gap in “subjective age,” as it’s called, widens with time.
Most people feel about 20% younger than their actual age, according to a Michigan State University survey of 502,548 people ages 10 to 89. At around age 50, the typical person will feel 40 on the inside. This skewed view of our aging selves influences how we think about growing older, too, and also how our perception of “old” changes as we become what we used to imagine. Young adults are apt to see 50 as old, the survey found, but people in their fifties are like, nuh uh!
“What you consider to be old changes as you become old yourself,” said study leader William Chopik, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University.
Turns out it’s healthy to feel younger than you are, I reported. It’s also good for your overall health and well-being to have a healthy view of aging in general, and of older people.
In a nutshell: What you expect of yourself later in life is at least somewhat predictive of how well it’ll go for you, one study found.
“How we think about who we're going to be in old age is very predictive of exactly how we will be,” said Shelbie Turner, who led the study at Oregon State University while a doctoral candidate.
“People need to realize that some of the negative health consequences in later life might not be biologically driven,” said Karen Hooker, PhD, co-author of the study and a professor emeritus at OSU. “The mind and the body are all interwoven. If you believe these bad things are going to happen, over time that can erode people's willingness or maybe even eventually their ability to engage in those health behaviors that are going to keep them as healthy as they can be.”
Related: How Long Can Humans Really Live?
Make Sleep Your Superpower, my new Kindle ebook, is available for pre-order on Amazon now. Your support makes my health reporting and writing possible, so I’d love it if you consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend.—Rob
I am 83 - and I don't think of myself as being old . . in my heart I'm about 60.