Age is a natural indicator with a biological basis that increases gradually for each of us as time passes. Despite this, we all wish to feel young and energetic regardless of our actual age.
Psychology introduces the concept of "subjective age", which essentially refers to how old we feel ourselves to be.
Studies in psychology have shown that individuals who perceive themselves as older than their actual age are more likely to experience symptoms of depression, lower life satisfaction, and even a relatively shorter lifespan.
Factors that can make you feel old quickly:
Psychologists believe that daily stressors and the sense of control are crucial factors influencing one's subjective age. Daily stressors refer to factors or situations in daily life that may cause us to feel tense or anxious, while the sense of control is the belief that individuals have the ability to influence events around them. This sense of control can make individuals feel their own worth and enhance their confidence and courage in facing difficulties. In other words, when you feel capable of influencing or controlling the situations or events in your life, you have a sense of control.
A study published in "Psychological Science" recruited 107 volunteers who were required to self-assess their subjective age, daily stressors, and sense of control over a period of 9 consecutive days. The results showed that individuals with a high sense of control tend to feel younger, especially in situations with more daily stressors, where those with high control feel at least 2.5 years younger than those with low control.
This is because when a person feels a high level of impact and control over their life, they will take a proactive attitude and actions to deal with sources of stress in daily life, believing they can smoothly navigate through relatively difficult times and remain hopeful for the future. Conversely, when the sense of control is low, facing stress can lead to negative emotions and feelings of helplessness, making it difficult to take effective measures to cope with challenges, and even perceiving their future as bleak.
For each of us, isn't youth synonymous with "anything is possible"? So, when we feel we can no longer control our lives, we start to feel distant from "youth" and that we are gradually aging.
Sleep has a significant impact on our physical and mental well-being, activating various regulatory mechanisms that help maintain our overall health, leaving us feeling energized in the morning and dissipating yesterday's stress and negative emotions.
Similarly, sleep also affects our perception of subjective age. A study published in the March 2024 issue of the "Royal Society" journal used survey and experimental methods to provide relevant evidence.
In the survey study, 429 volunteers assessed their subjective age and the number of days of insufficient sleep in the past 30 days. The results showed that volunteers who slept adequately every day felt an average of 5.81 years younger than their actual age, and for each additional day of insufficient sleep, the average subjective age increased by 0.23 years. In other words, if you have insufficient sleep every day for 30 days, you may feel 6.9 years older than your actual age!
In the experimental study, 186 volunteers were divided into a sleep-saturated group and a sleep-restricted group. The former slept 9 hours each night for 2 days, while the latter could only sleep 4 hours. The results showed that compared to the sleep-saturated group, volunteers in the sleep-restricted group felt an average of 4.4 years older.
Researchers believe that subjective age is a biological-psychological-social marker of a person's aging process, and insufficient or poor-quality sleep can make individuals feel like they are aging rapidly from these three aspects. When sleep is lacking, the body's regulatory mechanisms also weaken, leading individuals to feel inadequate, which gives the sensation of aging. Aging is often associated with poor sleep, so insufficient sleep can make a person feel older than they actually are.
2 Ways to "Reverse Aging"
Psychologists believe that, as shown in the above studies, a person's subjective age is quite malleable. Factors such as sleep, stress, and sense of control can make us feel older or younger than our actual age. This suggests that by improving these factors, we can make ourselves feel younger subjectively, thereby enhancing mental health and leading a happier life.
Adequate and good-quality sleep can make us feel younger. According to the "China Sleep Research Report (2022)," the "118" healthy sleep concept recommends going to bed at 11 p.m. and getting 8 hours of sleep. However, based on sleep-related research, the normal sleep duration for most adults is between 7 to 9 hours. Many people may find it challenging to strictly adhere to a bedtime of 11 p.m. due to work or other reasons. The core of this concept is to maintain sufficient and regular sleep habits, such as going to bed and waking up at the same time and ensuring an adequate sleep duration that suits you.
According to the aforementioned study, reducing sources of daily stress and enhancing the sense of control over life are crucial factors in feeling younger as we age. While daily stressors are external and uncontrollable factors, encountering troubles or challenges in life or work naturally leads to stress. Therefore, reducing stress sources may not be easy. On the other hand, the sense of control is an internal and controllable factor because it is a subjective belief within us. We can enhance our sense of control through the following methods:
Renowned psychologist Albert Bandura proposed that self-efficacy is a person's belief in their ability to complete a task or achieve a specific goal. When self-efficacy is high, we believe we can overcome life's challenges, complete our work or study tasks, and actively take effective measures to help us achieve our goals. This is essentially a manifestation of self-control.
We can enhance self-efficacy by regularly learning new skills or accumulating successful experiences, such as engaging in a sport or hobby we enjoy, gradually improving and mastering relevant knowledge and skills during practice.
Or do simple yet fulfilling activities, such as making a simple and healthy breakfast following a recipe, reading an interesting book, learning a few common foreign language words, etc.
Whether in work or life, we have a series of tasks to accomplish, such as completing a project proposal, keeping the room tidy, etc. We can break down these tasks into small goals or steps, along with specific strategies to solve them. This will give us a sense of control over our current life and work, believing that we are actively controlling our actions to influence the final results.
No matter what happens in life, we will have certain emotions, especially when negative events occur, our emotions can become negative and intense, leading to a sense of losing control over the situation. Therefore, learning to understand and regulate one's emotions is also an effective way to enhance a sense of control. When we can maintain a calm and positive emotional attitude in the face of stress and difficulties, we are more likely to believe in our ability to control events in our lives.
There are many effective methods for regulating emotions, such as confiding in family and friends, positive self-affirmations, diaphragmatic breathing, practicing mindfulness meditation, engaging in appropriate exercise, and exploring art therapy methods like painting, paper cutting, pottery, etc. The process of artistic creation can help people relax, find satisfaction, shift their focus to the present moment, and alleviate negative emotions.
References
[1] Lee, S. E., & Neupert, S. D. (2024). The effect of control beliefs on the relationship between daily stressors and subjective age in younger adults. Mental Health Science, e56.
[2] Balter, L. J., & Axelsson, J. (2024). Sleep and subjective age: protect your sleep if you want to feel young. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 291(2019), 20240171.
