Human subjective age: what it is and how to feel younger

neurocoach

A person’s subjective age is how old we feel we are, without reference to date of birth. The younger we feel, the longer and better we live. And researchers are ready to answer the question of what shapes subjective age. Let’s get to the bottom of it.

Subjective age is related to our emotions, health and longevity. It depends on the intensity, eventfulness of life and self-realization of a person. Psychologically, we can age as well as grow younger.

Sisukord

What does this have to do with your temperament?

The fact is that there is a relationship between the type of temperament and the perception of the unit of time.
Cholerics are characterized by the advance of subjectively experienced time compared to the real time. There is always an acute shortage of it. They are in a hurry everywhere: inside themselves, and in the external manifestation.

Sanguine is also characterized by anticipation of subjectively experienced time. They are constantly striving for the future and want to have time as much as possible. However, in speed they are inferior to cholerics.

Veebilehel melancholics subjective time is synchronized with objective time. They maximally stay in their age and feel the time.

Subjective time phlegmatic lags behind the objective. Therefore, it moves slowly and evenly. In the life of such a person is always enough time. He is oriented in the past, and gets used to change with great difficulty.

“At 10 years old, I felt like an adult. Now, approaching 65, I feel about 40 years old or even less. Sometimes even younger than my own daughter, and she is 37,” shares Polina.

But Larisa, on the contrary, complains about her inner age: “I’m 25, I’m young and pretty, but I feel like a decrepit old woman. Why?…”

The whole point is that our subconscious ignores time. To it, it simply doesn’t exist. Christian Gelson, professor of psychology at Angier University, writes in his book The Little Psychology of Age, “Psychological age almost never keeps pace with biological age.

Feeling young or old is not a matter of age. Childish complexes and desires live in us all our lives. We adults have to negotiate with that playful, inquisitive, adventure-seeking child who lives in us all our lives.”

The older, the younger. The younger, the older

French researcher and professor of marketing at the University of Paris-Dauphine Denis Gueuet believes that “teenagers like to ‘age’ themselves in order to gain more autonomy and freedom and to be taken more seriously. From the age of 35, on the contrary, we feel much younger. It turns out that the older you are, the younger you are.”

For teenagers, time stretches too slowly because they want to become independent as quickly as possible. For adults, time flies at an incredible speed. But an elderly person thinks that instead of real 50-60 years of his life has passed only 25-30.

It is not easy to calculate the subjective age. It is a variable value: its perception changes depending on mood and circumstances. Today you feel five years older because you are tired and irritated. But once you get some rest, you’ll feel your age. When adventure, inspiration and joyful events come into your life, you feel younger. In this, subjective age is similar to happiness. It varies from day to day: on bad days it’s lower, on good days it’s higher. Even a few hours can improve or worsen the result.

How to start the process of rejuvenation?

Tervis

According to research, the main factors that increase subjective age are headaches, insomnia, shortness of breath, body mass index, and the belief that a person is unable to influence their condition. This shows exactly what is worth improving now. Move more, stop smoking and alcohol and eat a healthy diet, and monitor your psychological health.

Close relationships

Imagining how good your sex will be in 10 years affects your sense of age. This parameter is among the top 10 psychomarkers of aging. Good sex implies affection and intimacy. Which means that if it remains good after 10 years, you will not find yourself alone in the future. It should be said that marital status is almost as important as sex life in 10 years.

Openness and optimism

People who are sociable and open to new things, who are able to see a positive aspect in everything, have a lower subjective age. Perhaps optimistic extroverts simply find it easier to meet people and maintain close relationships. Or maybe they are optimistic about their own aging and the future in general. Either way, by changing our minds, we change our age and our perception of the world.

Big goal

When a person has a goal, he becomes younger in mind and body. He gets up early, becomes more active, his eyes begin to shine. He is full of enthusiasm. The hormonal background changes. The person looks more attractive in the eyes of others. People are drawn to him, he becomes more active and full of energy. Remember yourself in 18-20 years old, when you wanted something very much and went to this goal. It was impossible to stop you. Approximately such a program of 18-20-year-old you is turned on inside, if you manage to find a big goal.

Calm state

Stress is a major contributor to subjective ageing, so reducing it in your daily life can also be one way to rejuvenate yourself internally.

Breathing practices, meditation, yoga, walking in the fresh air, general physical activity are suitable for this purpose. Also – affirmations for the age you want to look.

“Numerous results show that “people who feel younger than their chronological age are healthier and also live longer,” says Anne E. Kornadt, PhD, professor in the Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Luxembourg.