Feeling younger has more than just psychological benefits

Research indicates that those who feel younger than their actual age tend to be healthier and more mentally resilient, making the adage "you're only as old as you feel" more true.

Could the proverb apply to older individuals recovering from physical impairments? Evidently so. Researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel have demonstrated that even in old age, maintaining a youthful outlook may increase the likelihood of effectively recovering from medical disorders. Recent publication of their findings in the journal Gerontology.

Those who feel younger are more likely to maintain their health and function for longer periods of time andrecover from incapacity more quickly. Individuals could therefore continue a healthy and active lifestyle if they believe they would age successfully.

The study observed 194 adult patients, aged 73 to 84, who were receiving treatment for osteoporotic fractures or strokes at various rehabilitation centers around Israel. Fractures (often caused by falls) and stroke are the two health issues that older adults fear the most. This is due to the fact that both of these disorders frequently result in the loss of functional independence.

During patients' rehabilitation, a number of interviews were done with them. They were asked about their feelings, life experiences, and perceived age (how young they felt). At both admission and discharge, the nursing team administered the Functional Independence Measurement (FIM) exam to evaluate the patients' functional independence.

Approximately one month following hospitalization, individuals who felt younger (had a younger subjective age) had greater functional independence at discharge. Individuals recuperating from osteoporotic fractures and stroke have been proven to benefit from a sense of youthfulness. The researchers also discovered that people who perceived themselves as younger recovered more quickly because they had greater optimism for regaining their functional abilities.

The effect of subjective age at admission on functional independence at discharge was confirmed, according to Prof. Amit Shrira of the Gerontology Program in the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, who co-led the study with Prof. Ehud Bodner. "However, the effect of functional independence at admission on subjective age at release could not be substantiated. This supports the conclusion that a younger age identity is an important psychological construct that helps to a more successful recovery," said Shrira, who conducted the research with Dr. Daphna Magda Kalir and colleagues from the Gender Studies Program.

Surprisingly, subjective age was the biggest predictor of rehabilitation results, even stronger than the chronological age of the patient and the presence of many concurrent chronic health issues (physical multimorbidity) at admission. In establishing prognosis, health care practitioners typically evaluate chronological age and physical multimorbidity, although subjective age is unknown to the majority of practitioners. "Those who feel younger are able to keep their health and function for longer durations, and as the present study demonstrates, they can recover from impairment more effectively. Therefore, by thinking oneself to be aging effectively, individuals can maintain a healthy and active lifestyle," explains Shrira.

In light of the findings, the researchers recommend that when designing rehabilitation procedures, practitioners evaluate the subjective age of patients. A younger perceived age may encourage elderly patients to adhere to the rehabilitation procedure following an osteoporotic fracture and stroke. Future study could aid in the development of interventions designed to create a younger subjective age in patients, which could aid in their rehabilitation. Such interventions may assist in the correction of erroneous attitudes about aging and may include cognitive strategies that assist in the modification of negative, automatic thinking about aging.

Reference: “Feeling Younger, Rehabilitating Better: Reciprocal and Mediating Effects between Subjective Age and Functional Independence in Osteoporotic Fracture and Stroke Patients” by Kalir D.M., Shrira A., Palgi Y., Batz C., Ben-Eliezer A., Heyman N., Lieberman D., Seleznev I., Shugaev I., Zaslavsky O., Zikrin E. and Bodner E., 25 May 2022, Gerontology. DOI: 10.1159/000524885