"How old you are matters, but beyond that it's your interpretation that has far-reaching implications for the process of aging," said Markus H. Schafer, a doctoral student in sociology and gerontology who led the study. "So, if you feel old beyond your own chronological years you are probably going to experience a lot of the downsides that we associate with aging.
"But if you are older and maintain a sense of being younger, then that gives you an edge in maintaining a lot of the abilities you prize."
Schafer and co-author Tetyana P. Shippee, a Purdue graduate who is a research associate at Purdue's Center on Aging and the Life Course, compared people's chronological age and their subjective age to determine which one has a greater influence on cognitive abilities during older adulthood. Nearly 500 people ages 55-74 were surveyed about aging in 1995 and 2005 as part of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States.
In 1995, when people were asked what age do you feel most of the time, the majority identified with being 12 years younger than they actually were.
"We found that these people who felt young for their age were more likely to have greater confidence about their cognitive abilities a decade later," Schafer said. "Yes, chronological age was important, but the subjective age had a stronger effect.
"What we are not sure about is what comes first. Does a person's wellness and happiness affect their cognitive abilities or does a person's cognitive ability contribute to their sense of wellness. We are planning to address this in a future study."
Erich Feldmeier on 31 Jan 13"Bislang hatte man eigentlich angenommen, dass die sexuelle Aktivität eher zunimmt, wenn der Mann im Haushalt hilft. Es kommt aber offenbar stark darauf an, welche Arbeiten er übernimmt - männliche oder "unmännliche". War die Aufgabenteilung klassisch - kümmerten sich die Männer also praktisch ausschließlich um Garten, Auto und Geld - hatten die Paare im Durchschnitt 1,6 Mal so häufig Sex wie Paare mit einer gerechteren Arbeitsteilung.... Sabino Kornrich (Juan March Institute, Madrid) et al.: American Sociological Review, doi: 10.1177/0003122412472340"
