Feeling Younger Buffers Older Adults From Stress, Protects Against Health Decline

A study published by the American Psychological Association in Psychology and Aging suggests that feeling younger could help cushion middle-aged and older adults against stress, reports EurekAlert . Investigators analyzed three years of data from 5,039 participants in the German Aging Survey of residents 40 and older. Respondents who reported more stress in their lives experienced a steeper decline in functional health over three years on average, and that connection was stronger for older participants. However, the connection was weaker among those who felt younger than their chronological age, and that protective effect was strongest among the oldest respondents. "Some individuals enter old age and very old age with quite good and intact health resources, whereas others experience a pronounced decline in functional health, which might even result in need for long-term care," said Markus Wettstein at the University of Heidelberg. "Our findings support the role of stress as a risk factor for functional health decline, particularly among older individuals, as well as the health-supporting and stress-buffering role of a younger subjective age."