What age is old?

 I don’t think about my age and so I am surprised when other people go out of their way to mention their age. I was talking with a man the other day and out of nowhere (or my mind might have wandered), he said he was 70 and felt pretty good for his age. I agreed and continued the conversation, but I noticed that many people tend to want me to know their age. I am not sure if it is because they are proud or because I have white hair and so they are trying to figure out how old I am.

When old age starts may also partly depend on how you view ageing. What age do you think counts as middle age? Forty to 60? Fifty to 70? Somewhere in between? It probably won't surprise you to learn that the answer people give to this question depends on how old they are at the time they are asked it.

When half a million people completed an online questionnaire in 2018 the participants who were in their 20s and 30s said on average that middle age began at 40, while old age started at 62. By contrast, the over-65s didn't think old age began until the age of 71. I think, if you ask someone who is in their 80s old age does not start until you are in your 90s.

It's evident what is going on here. No one really likes to think of themselves as getting older, so if you are 60 you relish articles that proclaim that 60 is the new 50. Likewise, people in their 70s are buoyed by suggestions that with advances in nutrition and health care they are barely out of middle age. Also, we tend to want to disassociate ourselves from any group that is stigmatized. This means we resist being designated as old when we see elderly people portrayed as frail, sedentary, ill and even a burden on society

Of course, old age is a reality and older people should be treated with respect and dignity. If you refuse to consider yourself is this delusional In fact, it turns out it might be a sensible strategy, one that can be self-fulfilling and life-enhancing.

In 2003, the researchers carried out a wide-ranging study in which participants were again asked the question: when does old age start? Answers varied of course, but what they found was that those people who thought old age began earlier were more likely to have had a heart attack, to be suffering from heart disease or to be in poor physical health generally when they were followed up six to nine years later.

So, how could the number you give to old age starting possibly have this great an impact on your health?

One idea is that the answer to the simple question of when old age starts actually provides a lot more information about a person than you might think. It might be, for instance, that the question prompts people to think about their own physical health, and if they have underlying health issues or a poor lifestyle, they might not feel that well and are moved to think old age is coming sooner.

People who think old age starts later in life may be more conscious about their health and fitness

People who say that old age sets in at an earlier age may also be more fatalistic and less likely to seek help for medical conditions or to adopt healthier routines, believing that decline is inevitable. They may, for instance, assume that older people are frail and so deliberately start walking more slowly and taking it easy when this is exactly what they shouldn't be doing for the sake of their physical and mental health. 

I believe it is better to have a positive attitude about ageing. I also believe that anyone who is 10 years older than me is starting to get old. I believed that when I was 20, 30 40 and I believe it today. Old is a state of mind, so stay young at heart and enjoy the time you have here. As a friend of mine says to me "It is better than the alternative."