- A recently published study by the American Psychological Association shows that older people believe that old age begins later in life than in the past.
- Today, middle-aged and older adults believe that old age begins at 75.
- According to the study, older generations were more likely to say they thought old age started at 71.
Perceptions about aging are changing, with older adults now viewing 75 as the start of old age, according to a new study from the American Psychological Association.
“Life expectancy has increased, which could contribute to a later perception of old age,” said Markus Wettstein, professor at Humboldt University in Berlin and lead author of the study. “In addition, some aspects of health have improved over time, so people of a certain age who were considered old in the past are no longer considered old today.”
Wettstein, along with researchers from Stanford University, the University of Luxembourg and Greifswald University Hospital, examined data from more than 14,000 people collected through the German Aging Survey to determine how ideas about aging are changing.
Researchers found that age, gender and health all played a role in a person’s perception of their old age.
They found that as people get older, their ideas about when old age begins change. At 64, the average German survey participant said old age begins around 74, and at 74, the average survey respondent said old age begins around 77, the study found.
“On average, the onset of old age increases by approximately one year for every four to five years of actual aging,” the study says.
According to the study, there are also differences of opinion between generations about when old age begins.
Compared to the earliest participants in the German survey, the later participants said they thought old age started later in life.
“When participants born in 1911 were 65 years old, they set the start of old age at 71 years old. In contrast, participants born in 1956 said old age began on average at 74 years old, when they were 65 years old,” the study indicates.
On average, women reported that old age began two years later than men and that differences of opinion increased over time.
Researchers also found that people who reported feeling lonelier, less healthy or feeling older said old age started earlier than their less lonely, healthier and younger counterparts, according to the study.
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News Source : thehill.com
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