You’re only as old as you feel is a cliche that has become very worn out. Get ready to hear it a lot more, though, because a new study confirms that it’s not just a cliche, it’s the truth. Apparently, feeling younger is linked to a longer life expectancy.
Subjective Awareness of Health
To come to this conclusion, researchers at University College London looked at 6500 older adults who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. They were asked, among other things, to say how old they felt.
Most of the respondents, who were an average actual age of 65.8 years, said they felt younger than their real age. In fact, nearly 70% said they felt three or more years younger than their actual age, contributing to an average self-perceived age of 56.8 years. About a quarter said they were about their actual age. Only 5% said they felt more than a year older than their actual age.
Eight years after the survey was conducted, records for the respondents were consulted, and it turned out that those who felt oldest had the highest death rate, nearly 25%, compared to 18.5% for those who felt about their age, and only 14.3% for those who felt younger than their age.
Researchers explained this by saying that self-perceived age is actually a good indicator of one’s health. Awareness of aches and pains, inability or unwillingness to be active, and disengagement from enriching social activities can all contribute to one’s sense of being older, and can all indicate one’s health status, as well as one’s will to live. The last may be one of the most important factors, because even after correcting for health status, self-reported age remained a predictor of longevity.
How the Right Dentures Can Help You Feel Younger
Dentures are an important factor in your self-perceived age. If your dentures don’t fit right, if they give you pain, and if they don’t function properly, it can make you feel much older than you really are. The daily discomfort and lack of function can dramatically drain your joy in life.
And if your dentures are making you look older, then every day they are reinforcing the perception that you are actually older, no matter what the calendar may say.
Worst of all, poorly fitting dentures can have impacts on your ability to be active and to enjoy a rich social life. If you are concerned or embarrassed by your dentures, you are less likely to go out to social occasions. And if you fear you are more likely to fall, you might avoid the very activities that can make you more fit and healthy.
Don’t let your dentures put you in the category of people who feel older than they are. Instead, reclaim your youth with The Denture Fountain of Youth®. To learn more about how they can help you, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a Columbia, SC denture dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
