Some become old sooner than others, it all depends on one detail!
Several researchers from Stanford University, Luxembourg and Greifswald in Germany examined data from a study on aging published in the journal Psychology and Aging. They note disparities between individuals regarding the perception of age. Using this data, they were able to understand how people relate to aging. Thanks to the participation of just over 14,000 people, researchers were able to study human behavior over a period of 25 years and in particular noted a tendency to postpone the age at which they felt old.
Most people have a rough idea of how old they consider someone to be old. However, you should be aware that this age is not the same for everyone and in all countries. Whether you are in the sports world or in the business world, the age at which you become “senior” is not the same. The WHO has chosen the age of 60 to start talking about an “elderly” person, but in France, we most often say 69 years. Before that you are either a boomer or a senior. The Japanese answer 66 years and the Malaysians 56 years to the question: “At what age would you call a person old?”
Even to this question the answers vary, not only according to country but also according to age. It is well known that an 8 year old child will find that a 20 year old person is old but a 50 year old person does not necessarily consider that a 60 year old person can be considered “old”. This phenomenon was also found in the data from this survey. Participants aged 65 indicated that old age began at 74, while those aged 25 seemed to agree with 66.
And these differences in perception do not stop there, the study also reveals that the generational factor must be taken into account. According to the study data, people born in the second half of the 20th century tend to delay the age of old age. They feel young longer than those born at the turn of the century. The reasons for this are multiple, already life expectancy has only increased thanks to improvements in living, working and even health conditions. Furthermore, the younger generations have only seen the retirement age increase, so that in the common imagination a person still working at 64 necessarily appears younger.
Other factors must be taken into account; some people only really consider a person old when their health deteriorates. In the same way the study shows that very often, a person who is alone or in poor health tends to feel older than a socially active or healthy person. This disparity also exists between the sexes, since again thanks to the responses of 14,000 participants, the researchers found that women tended to delay the age at which aging begins.
The researchers’ conclusions point out that overall the age at which a person is considered old is falling as the generations evolve and explain this trend by several reasons (demographic, psychological and health). This study also shows that the functioning of modern societies has a strong influence on the acceptance of age and aging among individuals. This could help to challenge people’s perception of aging, particularly in France, which according to a survey Ipsos is among the most pessimistic countries regarding the aging process.