Age is a natural sign with a biological basis, and each of us will gradually grow older with the passage of time. Still, each of us wants to be able to feel young and energetic all the time, no matter how old we are. Therefore, psychology has come up with the concept of "subjective age", which in layman's terms, is how old you feel like.

Psychological studies have found that older subjective age, i.e., those who feel older than their actual age, are more likely to experience symptoms of depression, lower levels of well-being, and even shorter lifespans.

These factors

It can make people feel very old very quickly

1. Loss of control over life

Psychologists believe that everyday stressors and feelings of control are important factors that affect a person's subjective age. Daily stressors refer to factors or situations in our daily lives that may cause us to feel nervous or anxious, while sense of control refers to an individual's belief in the ability to influence events around them. This sense of control can make individuals feel their own value and increase their confidence and courage in the face of difficulties. In other words, when you feel that you have the ability to influence or control a situation or event in your life, you have a sense of control.

A study published in Mental Health Science, which recruited 5 volunteers who were asked to self-assess their daily subjective age, daily stressors, and sense of control over a period of 0 consecutive days, found that people with a high sense of control tended to feel younger, especially when there were more daily stressors, and those with a high sense of control felt at least 0.0 years younger than those with a low sense of control.

This is because when a person feels a high level of influence and control over their life, they adopt positive attitudes and actions to cope with the stressors of daily life and believe that they can get through those relatively difficult moments smoothly and are hopeful for the future. On the other hand, when the sense of control is low, they will fall into negative emotions and feelings of helplessness in the face of stress, find it difficult to take effective measures to cope with the difficulties, and even think that their future is hopeless.

And for each of us, isn't youth synonymous with "anything is possible"? Therefore, when we feel that we are no longer in control of our lives, we will feel that we are gradually moving away from the "young" and have slowly grown old.

2. Lack of sleep or poor sleep

Sleep has an important impact on our bodies and minds, activating a variety of regulatory mechanisms that help keep us physically and mentally healthy, allowing us to wake up in the morning feeling energized and the stress and negativity of yesterday disappear.

Similarly, sleep can affect our perception of subjective age, as evidenced by a study published in the journal Royal Society in 3/0 using both investigative and experimental methods.

In the survey study, 9 volunteers were assessed for subjective age and the number of days without sleep in the last 0 days, and it was found that volunteers who slept enough every day felt that they were on average 0.0 years younger than their chronological age, and for each additional day of sleep deprivation, the average subjective age increased by 0.0 years, that is, if you didn't get enough sleep every day for 0 days, you might feel 0.0 years older than your chronological age!

In the experimental study, 4 volunteers were divided into a sleep-saturated group, which slept 0 hours per night for 0 days, and a sleep-restricted group, and the latter only slept 0 hours, and it was found that volunteers in the sleep-restricted group felt 0.0 years older on average compared to the sleep-saturated group.

Researchers believe that subjective age is a biological-psycho-social marker of a person's aging, and that lack of sleep or poor quality can make people feel like they are aging rapidly in these three ways. When there is not enough sleep, the effect of the body's physical and mental adjustment mechanism will also deteriorate, causing people to feel that they are powerless, that is, they feel older, and at the same time, getting older is often associated with poor sleep, so lack of sleep will make a person feel older than they really are.

2 methods

Makes you "younger"

Psychologists believe that, as the above research suggests, a person's subjective age is quite malleable, and we may feel older or younger than our actual age due to factors such as sleep, stress, and a sense of control. This, in turn, suggests that we can improve our subjective age by improving these factors to make ourselves younger, thereby improving our mental health and living happier lives.

118. Practice the concept of "0" healthy sleep

Adequate sleep and good quality can make people feel younger, and according to the "11" healthy sleep concept of the "China Sleep Research Report (0)", it is recommended that everyone practice the healthy work and rest habit of "going to bed at 0 o'clock and sleeping enough for 0 hours". Of course, according to sleep-related research, the normal sleep duration of most adults is between 0~0 hours, and at the same time, many people may find it difficult to fall asleep strictly at 0 o'clock due to work and other reasons, but the core of this concept is to maintain adequate and regular sleep habits, that is, to fall asleep and wake up regularly, and maintain an adequate sleep duration suitable for you.

2. Promote a sense of control over your life

According to the above research, reducing daily stressors and improving a sense of control in life are important factors in making a person live younger and younger. But generally speaking, a daily stressor is an external, uncontrollable factor that naturally arises when we encounter troubles or challenges in life or work, so reducing stressors may not be an easy thing to do. The sense of control is an internal and controllable factor, because the sense of control is a subjective belief in our heart, and we can improve our sense of control through the following methods.

Enhance self-efficacy

The famous psychologist Albert Bandura proposed that self-efficacy is a person's belief in whether they can have the ability to complete a task or achieve a specific goal, when self-efficacy is high, we think that we can overcome difficulties in life, complete our work or study tasks, and will actively take effective ways to help ourselves achieve the goal, which is actually the embodiment of self-control.

We can enhance our sense of self-efficacy by learning new skills or accumulating successful experiences, so as to improve our sense of control over our lives, such as finding a sport or hobby that we like, and gradually improving and mastering relevant knowledge and skills in the process of practicing. Or do something very simple but fulfilling, such as cooking a simple and healthy breakfast according to a recipe, reading an interesting book, learning a few common foreign words, and so on.

Set small goals for yourself

Whether at work or in life, we have a series of things to complete, such as completing a project plan, keeping the room tidy, etc., we can break these things down into small goals or steps one by one, as well as specific solution strategies, which will make us have a sense of control over our current life and work, and think that we are actively controlling our own behavior and thus affecting the final result.

Learn to regulate your emotions

No matter what happens in life, we will have a certain emotion about it, especially when something bad happens, the emotion will become negative and intense, which can make us feel out of control of things. Therefore, learning to understand and regulate your emotions is also an effective way to improve your sense of control. When we are able to maintain a calm and positive emotional attitude in the face of stress and difficulties, we are more likely to believe that we have the ability to control the events in our lives.

There are many ways to effectively regulate emotions, such as confiding in friends and family, positive self-affirmation, abdominal breathing exercises, practicing mindfulness meditation, appropriate exercise, etc., in addition, you can also try art therapy methods, such as painting, paper cutting, pottery, etc., the process of art creation can make people feel relaxed and find satisfaction, and turn their attention to the present moment, so as to alleviate negative emotions.

Bibliography

[56] Lee, S. E., & Neupert, S. D. (0). The effect of control beliefs on the relationship between daily stressors and subjective age in younger adults. Mental Health Science, e0.

[20240171] Balter, L. J., & Axelsson, J. (0). Sleep and subjective age: protect your sleep if you want to feel young. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 0(0), 0.