May 2, 2024 – When does old age begin? Obviously, that depends on who you ask. when you were born. German researcher Dr. Markus Wetterstein said that for millions of people born between 1952 and 1974, the line between middle age and old age is a moving target.
“Every four to five years, our perception of old age changes by a year or more,” said Wetterstein, who along with a team of researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin examined data from more than 14,000 German Data collected from adults.
their findings, Published in late April, Research shows that while there is a tendency for people born later to start aging later in life than those born earlier, this may not continue into the future. One reason is that life expectancy growth has slowed, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Wettstein says this factor is important for today’s young people, who may ultimately struggle to age. Elegant and healthy.
“While we found that people feel younger now than they did in the past, other research shows that stereotypes of aging have become more negative over time, especially in the United States,” Wettstein said. Particularly in North America. , these attitudes portray older adults as a homogeneous group living in frailty, poor health, dependence, and mental decline. “The problem is, as you get older, at some point you fall victim to your own stereotypes, and they become self-fulfilling prophecies.”
Digital divide and family ties
Perhaps one of the most important factors driving changing attitudes toward aging is digitalization. For many late baby boomers and Generation Xers (who have learned to bridge the digital divide), technology has been a boon for work, access, and health. But the impact on digital natives (millennials and Gen Z) may be permanent.
Although this topic is just beginning to be seriously studied, research shows Social deprivation during critical developmental periods not only causes changes in the brain but may also increase loneliness and reduce well-being—factors that Already shown Accelerated aging, including an increase in chronic diseases in old age. Wettstein and his colleagues also noted that differences in loneliness across studies, especially among middle-aged adults, may lead to different perceptions.
“While social connections occur online, it’s rare to connect face-to-face and see the value and impact of it. It doesn’t just happen,” says Shira Schuster, Ph.D., a psychologist at Williamsburg Therapy Group in Brooklyn, New York. explain. “Many young patients tell me that they would rather not have a conversation with someone, such as making a dinner reservation. How do you convince them that this may have harmful long-term effects?
Strong family relationships, including having older adults or teenagers living with older adults in the home, are also associated with a nearly 50% increased likelihood of thriving. According to research.
Dr. Wendy Thiel, a geriatric psychologist at UC San Diego Health, said: “We’ve created almost every technological convenience—cars, phones, airplanes, the Internet—all to make us better. , making life changes more convenient. “But the cost of this is that we are physically isolated; since the family breakdown, we understand less and less about aging, and we have less and less respect for aging.
Minorva Ciede, MD, a geriatric psychiatrist and associate professor of geriatrics and psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, agrees.
“When you think about it in a more traditional way, you have a group of friends, but in a larger extended family, you spend a lot of time with the older people and watch these shifts and learn from them,” Ciede said. . “My trainees tell me that before they did their rotation, the only senior they had contact with was a grandmother who was very sick and stayed with them.”
Therefore, for many young people, the only major interactions with older people are related to illness, which means they miss out on learning more positive experiences of aging, such as resilience, self-awareness and acceptance, and the wisdom of relating to others. is an important part of life experience.
“Being with older people rather than marginalizing them, which I think a lot of us tend to do subconsciously, is a great way to redefine our ideas about what it means to be old,” writes frequent independent health writer Liz Siegert said.
An informal glimpse into age perceptions
When does old age begin? Again, it depends on who you ask.
Carolyn Tazelaar, a 37-year-old mother who is studying for a master’s degree in social work, said having children has changed her view of when old age begins, and she now thinks of it as around age 80 . distance). “The people I interned with actually told me I was old. They were 25 years old,” Tazelar said with a laugh.
The concepts of “younger old” and “older” people are also often brought into these conversations. Claudia Metcalf said. Degree.
Seegert said that now that she is 63, she has discovered that old age is no longer a number but more individual. “Some 80-year-olds don’t look old to the untrained eye. Some 60-year-olds look much older than they actually are,” she said.
Lovisa Williams, a 49-year-old senior digital strategist and policy official at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., said things have changed markedly since she was a child, when she would It is said that 65 years old is the ultimate boundary between middle and old age. This view later changed. “I think when you get to a certain point mentally or physically, you start not being able to function the way you used to; it varies from person to person,” she said.
In fact, Wettstein points out that his research shows that adults with more chronic conditions and poorer health themselves become aware of the onset of aging earlier than healthy people.
Take Philadelphia-based copywriter Steve Rickards, for example. Rickards, who is about to turn 71, said his perspective on old age changed when he reduced his work week from five to three days. “When I stopped working full-time at age 70, I started to feel older; this change in daily habits really took a toll on me mentally. Physically, I couldn’t do as much physical activity as I used to, “He said. (Rickards also suffers from a rare cancer that affects his vocal cords, no doubt affecting his perspective on aging.)
Changing Times and Attitudes
The world is aging, and perceptions of old age are now affected by the fact that people live and work longer, interact more frequently virtually rather than face-to-face, and are bombarded by social attitudes that value youth and youthful appearance.
Still, aging is not a choice; This is inevitable. “It’s important to know it’s coming and prepare for it,” Schuster said. “Let me make sure I start taking care of myself at a young age so I can increase my chances of aging while appreciating every stage of my life up to that point.”
