We Have At Least Four Ages but They Don't All Have Birthdays

The most commonly used is our calendar age, physical age, and mental age, but we also have an internal or subjective age

Hiya!

Our current social norms say that our age is determined based on the Gregorian calendar date we were born. But this is not the only way to measure how old we are — it’s not even the only version of age we have. We also have a physical age, the one our body and health dictate, and a mental age revealed by our intelligence and maturity levels. That makes a total of three ages we have, and now it appears there’s a fourth.

There’s a subtle shift occurring in research over the last couple of decades. Scientists have long focused on our external physical world — weapons, technology, economies, consumerism — but now we’re beginning to explore our intangible inner world. The one occupied by our emotions, consciousness itself, and where our fourth age resides — our mind, or “internal age.”

What is an Internal Age?

When we’re asked, “how old do you feel?” our answer often reflects how old we feel physically. If your back is sore or achy, you might say you feel older than your birthday age. Whereas if you feel great and energetic, you’d probably say you feel younger. But that’s very different than asking, “How old do you feel in your mind?”

Known as your internal or subjective age, it’s the age you feel inside, and researchers have found it often conflicts with our birthday age.

The first time I felt a different age than my birthday reflected, I was plugging my age into a treadmill at the gym. I was 25 years old at the time, but in my mind, I felt 23. And after my 34th birthday, I’ve completely lost track of how old I am. I literally just had to do the math to figure out whether I’m 36 or 37 years old. (I’m 36, by the way.) But other times, I still feel 34.

Feeling a couple of years older or younger isn’t usually that big of a deal, but research suggests that as I get older, there’s a decent chance my answer could become a 10-year difference or more between the age the calendar says I am and how old I feel internally.

A 2006 Danish study found that 40 percent of the 1,470 adult participants perceived themselves to be an average of 20 percent younger than their calendar age. Then, a 2023 study involving over 17,000 people middle-aged and older found that most participants felt around eight years younger than their chronological age.

I’ve become aware recently that some of the people I socialize with range in age. Some are a few years younger than me, while others are decades older. For instance, I’ve befriended a neighbor who is over seventy years old, but we get along splendidly — and this research might explain why because even though my neighbor is older than me, they feel younger. They told me they still feel 45 years old and are sometimes shocked to see themselves in the mirror.

Some research suggests that feeling younger than your annual age comes with some health benefits, including having better overall physical health and a lower risk of developing dementia and depression while boosting mental well-being.

Do We Always Feel Younger as We Age?

Nope.