Optimal Subjective Age Bias: Feeling Younger by a Set Amount, but No More, Is Beneficial for Life Satisfaction

Blöchl, Maria, Steffen Nestler, and David Weiss. 2020. “An Optimal Margin of Subjective Age Bias: Feeling Younger by a Set Amount, but No More, Is Beneficial for Life Satisfaction.” PsyArXiv. January 22. doi:10.31234/osf.io/pfxqh

Abstract: The majority of adults feels considerably younger than their chronological age. Numerous studies suggest that maintaining a youthful subjective age promotes successful ageing, but the extent to which feeling younger promotes life satisfaction is not well understood. Here, we use polynomial regression models and response surface methodology to accurately model and test the relationships between subjective age, chronological age, and life satisfaction in in a large sample spanning adulthood (N = 7,356; 36 – 89 years). We find that people who feel younger by a certain amount, but not more (or less), are most satisfied with their life. In addition, our findings suggest that the optimal discrepancy between subjective and chronological age increases across adulthood. These findings support an optimal margin perspective of the subjective age bias and highlight that beyond a certain point, distancing oneself from one’s own age may be psychologically harmful.