Today's Older People Really Are 'Younger' Than in Previous Generations

A new study from Finland in the Journals of Gerontology Series A found that today's older people have noticeably higher physical and cognitive capacities than previous generations, reports Fast Company . Hundreds of Finlanders aged 75 to 80 years old took a battery of physical and cognitive tests 30 years ago, which were retaken in 2017-2018 with Finlanders in the same age range. In the modern cohort, their walking speeds were 0.2 to 0.4 meters per second faster than the earlier group's, while their grip strengths were 5 percent to 25 percent stronger. The modern group's knee extension strengths were 20 percent to 47 percent higher than the earlier group, and they also exhibited better verbal fluency, reasoning, and working memory. The researchers theorize that the improved performances is likely fueled by either slowed aging or higher peak abilities in middle age, which results in higher functioning in later years. "The results suggest that our understanding of older age is old-fashioned," concluded University of Jyväskylä Professor Taina Rantanen. "More years are added to midlife, and not so much to the utmost end of life."