Work at Being as Young as You Feel

The University of Michigan has published a press release covering the work of some of their scientists. The study in question is to be published shortly in a medical journal, but the findings are worth summarizing here.

Over 500 men and women over 70 completed questionnaires as part of their participation in the Berlin Aging Study. They were asked about how they felt about themselves, their appearance, their satisfaction with their aging process, and so on.

In general, people felt younger than they actually were – about 13 years younger, in fact. They were also fairly well satisfied with their aging process over the time of the study. Some of the oldest participants even felt younger with time; but poor health negated this perception.

When asked “how old do you think you look?” when looking in the mirror, they selected, on average, 10 years younger than they actually were. By the end of the study (6 years later) the gap had narrowed to 7 years. In general, the women’s perception was nearer their actual age than the men’s. (Perhaps they were more aware of their appearance than the men.)

Further results suggest that people who feel younger are less likely to die than those who don’t, given the same actual age and physical health. All this means there are advantages to feeling younger than you really are, and there are practical ways to achieve this state. Exercise, lose weight, and eat a healthy diet. And if you need to know more, read this blog regularly.