[LUM#3] Feeling younger to age more slowly

[LUM Magazine] - Published on September 13, 2016 in Science-Society

How old do you think you are? It's a simple question that can give you valuable information about the evolution of your health...

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Are you over 50 and feeling like a forty-something? Researchers have shown that feeling younger than your age slows cognitive aging.There 's often a difference between the age on your identity papers and the age you feel," explains Yannick Stephan from the Epsylon laboratory. After the age of 40, we tend to feel younger than our age - we call this a rejuvenation bias", explains the researcher specializing in the psychology of health and aging.
By studying a group of 1,352 men and women aged between 50 and 75, Yannick Stephan found that those who declared they felt younger than their age had better cognitive performance 10 years later. And when you feel older? "Conversely, those who tend to feel older have a higher-than-average risk of cognitive decline", answers the researcher.

Personalized prevention

Beyond brain aging, feeling older has serious consequences for general health. In a study of 10,000 adults, Yannick Stephan and colleagues showed that feeling older than one's age is associated with a 25% increase in the risk of being hospitalized in the coming years, whatever the cause. "Subjective age is a good marker of physical, mental and biological health," explains the specialist.
In terms of health, perceived age is even more important than actual age. "It's information that can be obtained by asking a simple question, without taking blood samples or conducting a medical examination, but it gives valuable indications", says Yannick Stephan, who suggests that subjective age could be integrated into diagnostic and medical monitoring protocols. Asking people what age they feel they are would enable us to detect those at greater risk of developing health problems as they age. "Once identified, these patients could benefit from personalized prevention programs aimed at reducing their tendency to age, based in particular on physical activity and exercise".