Image: Pexels/Askar Abayev

Our views of aging change significantly as we get older, influenced by many factors, including our current age and health status. In turn, what we deem as “old,” and how we see life playing out when we become old, can affect how quickly we get there. I’ll explain below. But first, some numbers:

Millennials typically view 59 as old, while Boomers put the threshold at around 73, according to a U.S. survey that’s a little old itself (it was done in 2017). More recently, scientists interviewed 300 Canadians ranging in age from 45 to 100. On average, they pegged 73.7 years on the planet as the start of old age. People under 65 put it at 70.5, on average, and those over 65 set it at 77.4.

All this in mind, I asked a related question of my Facebook friends:

When you were in your 20s or 30s, what age seemed “old” and what did you imagine it’d be like to be “old”? And what do you think about being older now?

Among the responses:

In my 20s, 50 was old. In my 30s, 60 [was old]. Now, it’s just a number.”
—Kurt

I’m in my mid-30s and my mom, who’s in her mid-60s and still racing down hills on skis, does not seem old to me! I think of “old” as meaning 80+ (but I could still be convinced otherwise!)
—Elizabeth

I think I always thought of 60 being “officially old”. Still trying to figure out how to reframe that now that I’m there!”
—Colleen

60 was old when I was in my 20s and 30s. I’ll be 76 in a month and I’m still young!
— Mark

When I was in flight training at age 17, I noted in my training diary that an instructor I flew with was “Old, as in mid-50s.” Now that I’m in that decade, it doesn’t feel that old anymore!
—Christine

I’m surprised by the aches and pains and extra effort to do what once was so easy! I’m sure my grandparents and parents had/have the same issues, but they didn’t let on. It’s not for sissies!
—Carolyn

When I was young, 30 seemed old. Late teens/20’s 40–50, 30’s 60+….but cruising up on 60 in December, I don’t FEEL old. (At least not most days! lol.) Strange how that shapes as you age.
—Michele

I remember when my mom turned 34 and I thought that was ancient. Now I’m well past that and it seems young!
—Nola

I read long ago, most people feel that “15 years” older than they are is old… It seems it works pretty well at all ages. When we were 20, 35 seemed old. 35–50. Even 10–25.
—Kenny

I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below. Meantime, some science:

“Old” is indeed getting older

Interestingly, the range of what’s considered old, as expressed by Canadians in the survey mentioned above, ran from 45 to 100, which happens to be the actual age range of the respondents. Among the key factors driving the figure up or down for each person: health, limitations, level of independence, and changes in appearance.

From a more objective perspective, “old” has changed over the past century as lifespans have gotten longer and the odds of dying at any given age have gone down. In the 1920s, age 55 was considered “old” for men, and nowadays it’s around 70, according to an analysis by John Shoven, an economics professor at Stanford University. For women, the start of old age changed from late-50s in 1920 to around 73 today.

Among the most compelling aspects of aging is the strange and delightfully skewed perspective most of us have of our own age, as I wrote last year:

After about age 25, most people think of themselves as younger than their chronological age. And the gap in “subjective age,” as it’s called, widens with time.

Most people feel about 20% younger than their actual age... At around age 50, the typical person will feel 40 on the inside. This skewed view of our aging selves influences how we think about growing older, too, and also how our perception of “old” changes as we become what we used to imagine. Young adults are apt to see 50 as old, the survey found, but people in their fifties are like, nuh uh!

Not everyone feels younger than they are. But those who do tend to have better health outcomes, I reported. It’s also good for your overall health and well-being to have a healthy view of aging in general, and of older people.

In a nutshell: What you expect of yourself later in life is at least somewhat predictive of how well it’ll go for you, one study found.

“How we think about who we’re going to be in old age is very predictive of exactly how we will be,” said Shelbie Turner, who led the study at Oregon State University while a doctoral candidate.

“People need to realize that some of the negative health consequences in later life might not be biologically driven,” said Karen Hooker, PhD, co-author of the study and a professor emeritus at OSU. “The mind and the body are all interwoven. If you believe these bad things are going to happen, over time that can erode people’s willingness or maybe even eventually their ability to engage in those health behaviors that are going to keep them as healthy as they can be.”