Shifting Perceptions of Old Age With Increasing Life Expectancy and Improved Health

“What Age Is Considered ‘Old’?” The answer is becoming less clear as people live longer lives, retire later in age, and maintain better physical and mental health into their golden years. A study published by the American Psychological Association on April 22 found that individuals asked this question at the age of 64 perceived “old age” to begin at 75. Interestingly, as people grew older themselves, they pushed back when old age truly started – respondents aged 74 placed the start of seniority at an average of 76.8 years old. The study analyzed data from over 14,000 participants in Germany’s “German Ageing Survey,” who responded to survey questions up to eight times between 1996 and 2021 when they were ages forty through a hundred. Life expectancy has increased significantly during this timeframe which could contribute to the later perceived onset of old age, according to lead author Markus Wettstein, Ph.D., from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Additionally, some aspects of health have improved over time as well, potentially allowing individuals who would once be regarded “as older” remain young by current standards due these medical breakthroughs that improve one’s longevity and vitality beyond traditional geriatric benchmarks. Women were found to say old age started two years later than men on average while those reporting feelings of loneliness, poorer health or feeling more aged themselves said the start of senior citizenship came earlier compared with their less lonely, healthy peers who reportedly felt younger. It’s uncertain whether this trend toward delaying old age is a reflection of increasingly positive views about aging and older adults in general. Researchers caution that “push-backs” related to social statuses could be indicative instead as individuals might view growing older as an undesirable state rather than one with more desirable qualities, such as wisdom or experience gained through maturation.”