Self-perceived age reflects appraisals of health, physical limitations, and well-being in later life. Older people typically feel younger than their chronologic age, and it is thought that those who feel younger than their actual age have reduced mortality.We sought to confirm this relationship in a large representative population sample, and to understand the role of existing health problems, poor physical function, depression, sociodemographic factors, social isolation, impaired cognitive function, and health behaviors in explaining the association.
Authors
UCL Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
Isla Rippon
Journal article details
- Publisher
- American Medical Association
- Issue
- January 2015
Suggested citation
Rippon, I and Steptoe, A. (2015). 'Feeling Old vs Being Old: Associations Between Self-perceived Age and Mortality' (2015)
More from IFS
Understand this issue
Spring Budget 2024: What you need to know
7 March 2024
IFS Deputy Director Carl Emmerson made a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences
4 March 2024
The way Chancellors respond to economic news adds to our debt - here's why
1 March 2024
Policy analysis
What you need to know about the new childcare entitlements
28 March 2024
Oil and gas make Scotland’s underlying public finances particularly volatile and uncertain
27 March 2024
Recent trends in public sector pay
26 March 2024
Academic research
Willingness to pay for improved public education and public healthcare systems: the role of income mobility prospects
14 March 2024
Unfunded mandates and taxation
14 March 2024
Does the value-added tax add value? Lessons using administrative data from a diverse set of countries
9 February 2024