Old age is in the eye of the beholder
March 20th 2010 06:26
The youthful Kathryn Bigelow
Researchers from the University of Kent in the UK asked 40,000 people in 31 countries: "When does youth end and old age begin?"
We should warn now that the response may disturb some readers.
The answer is 35 and 58.
Youth ends at 35 and old age begins at 58?
Kathryn Bigelow is 58 and she looked positively, radiantly, energetically youthful as she collected her Oscar recently for best director. If she is old, then my name's Methuselah.
As we said, however, old age is in the eye of the beholder. It was the younger age groups who saw such early ends to youth and middle-age, and it got sillier the younger you got. Those aged 15 to 24 believed youth ended at 28 and old age set in at 54.
Poll respondents in their 80s, on the other hand, believed youth ended at 42 and old age began at 67. Listen to your elders, kiddies.
We would also like to point out to these youngsters the fact that in many countries the over-65s now outnumber the under-18s. So mind your manners or we'll show you what it means to be old and cranky.
story and image: dailymail.co.uk
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Comment by RubySoho
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Comment by Chris Champion
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One of my favourite quotes (and I must track down one day who actually said it) goes something like, "We spend the first 40 years of our lives worrying about what others think of us, and the second half of our lives worrying about what we think of ourselves."
Younger people do generally see themselves through the eyes of others. It comes earlier for some, later for others, and not at all for others again, but generally at some point around 40, we finally step through a curtain and become free of the weight of peer opinion.
Now wouldn't it be interesting - and your comment and gave me the idea for the first time - if this is tied with the end of the child-bearing age.
Forty is generally seen as a cut-off point - physically for women and, arguably, mentally for both men and women. So perhaps now it's time to worry less about the primal urge to attract a mate and get on with personal goals and interests.
Anyway, trust me when I say it does happen, and it's liberating! So, you see, your best years haven't even started yet
Comment by Morgan Bell
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i think the kids suck the life out of the parents
for me i think age has come in stages, i cant even pinpoint the exact dates, but:
stage one: the age you become afraid of heights, you used to climb trees and jungle-gyms and walk along the top of fences and play on the garage roof and them BAM you are suddenly afraid of heights
stage two: the age you become unsteady walking down stairs, for me this coincided with my back injury, but i used to not even think about stairs, bounding up and down them willy nilly, now i need a handrail and i watch my feet
ill tell you the next stage when i get to it
Comment by Chris Champion
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A later stage is starting to drive a car carefully. This often coincides with having a newborn strapped into the back seat.
Later again, you start to get nervous about driving a car generally.
Later still, you get nervous just being in a car.
Later still, you start to worry about them taking your driver's licence away.
Some time after that, you start looking for careful hearse drivers.
Negotiating the highway of life.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by Yank in Oz
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Comment by Chris Champion
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That is good news, and I congratulate you. Of course, it's actually a temporal illusion. It feels like four to five years now, but, after the fact, it feels like four to five minutes. I speak from long experience (which feels like short experience).