None of us are getting any younger, but how old do you really feel? While some lucky folks may feel younger than they are, for many of us the opposite is true. According to new research, Americans over 45 feel 12 years older than their actual age, on average.
A survey of 2-thousand adults age 28 and older, split evenly by generation, also reveals:
- More than half (55%) of people who feel older than they are blame it on joint pain, which has held 45% back in their daily lives and sometimes kept them from doing things they love.
- Overall, 85% of respondents experience some type of joint pain and less than half (47%) are optimistic they’ll find long-lasting relief.
- Things that make people feel older than they are include body pain (55%), getting tired easily (48%) and feeling less active overall (31%).
- Nearly half (47%) of those polled report they don’t feel their age, just how much older depends on their generation.
- Baby boomers feel an average of 14 years older, the silent generation respondents feel about 12 years older and Gen Xers feel about 10 years older, on average.
- But almost half (47%) of people won’t tell anyone when they’re in pain, afraid it will make them seem too old or frail (19%), or that they’re making everything about themselves (18%) or just overreacting (18%).
- Knee pain is a problem for 40% of respondents and their lack of mobility has led to changes in where they live (25%), where they work (22%) and how they travel (17%).
- More than half of respondents (54%) say they would try changing their diet and exercise routines to help them feel better.
Source: Talker