How Old You Feel Matters. A Lot. Especially When It Comes To...

News Staff : Feb 12, 2016
The American Psychological Association

"Feeling older is associated with poorer physical and mental health, but also with physiological impairments that may result in illness and health service use over time." -Dr. Angelina R. Sutin.

(Washington, DC)—People who feel older than their peers are more likely to be hospitalized as they age, regardless of their actual age or other demographic factors, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. (Photo via Google)

"How old you feel matters. Previous research has shown it can affect your well-being and other health-related factors and, now we know it can predict your likelihood of ending up in the hospital," said the study's lead author, Yannick Stephan, PhD, of the University of Montpellier in France. The research, which comprised more than 10,000 adults across the U.S., was published in the journal Health Psychology.

Despite previous studies showing an association between health-related issues and subjective age, this is the first study to test whether feeling older is linked to a higher risk of hospitalization, according to the article...

Further analysis showed that having more depressive symptoms and poorer health helped explain the link between feeling older and being hospitalized. "Feeling older is associated with poorer physical and mental health, but also with physiological impairments that may result in illness and health service use over time," said Dr. Angelina R. Sutin.

"Taken as a whole, this study suggests that subjective age, along with demographic, cognitive, behavioral and health-related factors, could be a valuable tool to help identify individuals at risk of future hospitalization," said Stephan. "People who feel older may benefit from standard health treatments—for example through physical activity and exercise programs, which may reduce their risk of depression and chronic disease, and ultimately their hospitalization risk."