For Older Adults, Sense of Control Tied to Feeling Younger

A study published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B found older adults feel younger when they feel that they have more control over their daily lives, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers recruited 116 older adults and 107 younger adults to fill out a daily survey for eight consecutive days, to evaluate their daily stresses, physical health, sense of control over their daily lives, and how old they felt. "We found that when older adults felt more in control, they also felt younger," says North Carolina State University Professor Shevaun Neupert. "That was true even when accounting for stress and physical health." Still, an individual's sense of control did not affect self-perceptions of age for young adults, while stress and health declines made young people feel older. "This highlights the importance of having older adults retain some sense of autonomy," concludes Neupert. "It's not just a nice thing to do, it actually affects their well-being."