The ubiquitous pattern is that the older people are, the less closely their subjective
age identity matches their chronological age. The proportion of people who
say they feel younger than their chronological age increased from 54% when they
were in their forties, for example, to 86% when in their eighties (Goldsmith &
Heiens 1992). Similarly, as people grow older, their definition of when old age
begins becomes older and older (Logan et al 1992). Older adults even engage in
greater stereotyping of all age groups than do younger people (Rothbaum 1983).
One might conclude that greater self-esteem is associated with feeling younger;
data suggest that life satisfaction is lower and stress is higher for those who see
themselves as old (Logan et al 1992), but congruency between subjective and actual
age leads to greater life satisfaction for older women (