Why Your Perception of 'Old' Changes as You Age

Many people in the baby-boomer and later generations are having a hard time accepting the realities of aging, which experts suggest may be a positive thing, reports Kaiser Health News . "Baby boomers are redefining what aging is and what old age looks like," said University of Southern California Professor Jennifer Ailshire. Overall, people say they feel about 20 percent younger than their chronological age, and Michigan State University Professor William Chopik said this feeling is compounded with aging. "People who report feeling younger actually tend to live longer and healthier lives, and they don't tend to have as much of a pattern of decline," he noted. Chopik also observed that the perception of age is redefined as people are living longer. "How we view ourselves changes constantly as we age," he concluded.