Middle-aged and older people believe old age begins later in life than those of the same age several decades ago, shows a study published in 2024 in Psychology and Aginga review of theAmerican Psychological Association.
Life expectancy has increased and certain aspects of health have also improved over time, which could contribute to a perception of old age as being later, points out Markus Wettstein of Humboldt University in Berlin. (Life expectancy of people born in 2022 in France)
Wettstein and colleagues (1) from the universities of Stanford (United States), Luxembourg and Greifswald (Germany) analyzed data from 14,056 participants in a German survey on aging. Born between 1911 and 1974, they were questioned 8 times over 25 years (1996-2021) when they were between 40 and 100 years old. Additional participants were recruited throughout the study period. In particular, they answered the question: “At what age would you describe someone as old?” »
Compared to participants born earlier, those born later perceived old age to be later. For example, when those born in 1911 were 65 years old, they set the start of old age at 71 years on average. While at the same age (65 years), those born in 1956 set it at 74 years. (What are the boomer, X, Y, Z, millennial, alpha… generations?)
The researchers also looked at how perceptions about old age changed over the lifespan. As individuals aged, they believed that old age began later. At age 64, the average participant estimated it started at age 74.7. At age 74, he estimated it started at 76.8 years. On average, perceived old age was postponed by approximately one year for every 4 to 5 years of actual aging. The trend toward aging later and later has slowed in recent years.
Women, on average, estimated that old age began two years later than men. This difference has increased over time. People who felt more lonely, those who were in poorer health, and those who felt older on average felt that old age started earlier. (Feeling of loneliness: time spent alone is not the main cause)
For more information on aging and longevity, see the links below.
(1) Markus Wettstein, Rinseo Park, Anna E. Kornadt, Susanne Wurm, Nilam Ram, Denis Gerstorf.
Psychomedia with sources: American Psychological AssociationPsychology and Aging.
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