#SubjectiveAge

Feeling younger than your actual age can be more than optimism. It may predict better health, happiness, and sharper brain function. A growing body of international research shows that subjective age—the age you feel relative to your real age—affects physical and mental well-being into older adulthood. In Thailand, where the population is aging rapidly, these insights offer practical options for individuals and policymakers.

Subjective age is a simple self-perception: some octogenarians feel decades younger, while others feel older than their years. New studies indicate this feeling reflects not just mindset but real health, cognition, and brain structure. For a nation with one of the steepest aging curves, recognizing the power of subjective age could shape how Thailand supports healthy, fulfilling aging.

Feeling younger than your actual age may be more than just a positive mindset—it could be a powerful predictor of your future health, happiness, and even the aging of your brain. According to a growing body of international research, including the latest insights published by Psychology Today on the impact of “subjective age,” this simple feeling can influence your physical and mental well-being throughout your later years (Psychology Today).

Subjective age is how old you feel compared to your actual, chronological age. It’s a surprisingly powerful self-perception: some people in their 80s report feeling decades younger, while others feel older than their biological years. Recent research shows that this feeling—far from being psychological fluff—has measurable effects on health, cognitive functioning, and even brain structure.

A new study from the University of Vienna suggests that how old you feel, your internal sense of age, may matter as much as your actual age for happiness and well-being. The researchers recommend embracing a youthful mindset as a practical hedge against ageism and to maintain a positive self-identity as people grow older.

In Thailand’s family-centered culture—where respect for elders sits alongside the lively energy of youth—this research offers timely insight. It highlights how subjective age can influence treatment by others and personal self-perception, reinforcing the idea that age is as much a state of mind as a number.

A groundbreaking study by researchers from the University of Vienna suggests that how old you feel—your self-concept of age—may be just as important as your actual age in determining happiness and well-being. This new research urges people of all ages not to dismiss the old adage of being “young at heart,” as cultivating a youthful mindset could help defend against the negative effects of ageism and support healthier self-identity as they grow older (Psychology Today; SpringerLink).