Many times I've told the story of 92 year old Erma asking me ho old did I feel 'inside?' After I replied 19, I asked her and she said "Perhaps 21." In the Science and Health section of Sunday's Minneapolis Tribune appeared an article, You're only as old as you feel. "Feel younger than your age? Your brain my be healthier and you may be more resilient than same-age peers."
"When scientists ask, 'How old do you feel most of the time?' the answer tends to reflect the state of people's physical and mental health...."
"Scientists are finding that people who feel younger than their chronological age are typically healthier and more psychologically resilient than those who feel older. They perform better on memory tasks and are at lower risk of cognitive decline."
The article, by Emily Laber-Warren, reprinted from the New York Times, goes on to say cause and effect is unclear;
While I've felt younger than my chronological age for many years, the article raised a concern. It made me wonder if my pride in feeling younger than my years is a subtle form of ageism? How much of my self-perception is a prejudice against elder-hood? The initial satisfaction in reading about the benefits of a self perception of "youngness" gradually turned to the discomfort of seeing my bias of ageism.
So it goes in the land of endless self-discovery.
Takk for alt,
Al
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