Most Taiwanese feel younger than their age: study

JUST A NUMBER: Young people might perceive themselves as older to be seen as more mature, while older people do not want to be seen as in decline

• By Yang Yuan-ting and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer

• • Add TT as Preferred Source

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More than half of Taiwanese adults perceive themselves as younger than their actual age, with people aged 50 and older saying they feel about eight years younger on average, a Taiwan Communication Survey (TCS) study showed.

The survey of more than 2,000 Taiwanese adults, conducted in 2021, showed that 57.6 percent of respondents felt younger than their actual age, while 22.1 percent said their perceived age matched their real age and 20.2 percent felt older than they were.

People begin to perceive themselves as younger than their actual age after turning 30, and as they grow older, they tend to perceive themselves as increasingly younger relative to their actual age, the survey showed.

People take a selfie in Taipei’s Ximending shopping area in an undated photograph.

Photo: CNA

People younger than 30 perceived themselves as about three years older than their actual age, while those aged 30 to 39 felt 0.3 years younger and respondents aged 40 to 49 felt 4.4 years younger, it showed.

Respondents aged 50 to 59 said they perceived themselves as 8.4 years younger, while those aged 60 to 69 felt 10 years younger and those aged 70 and older felt 8.5 years younger, it showed.

Younger people who perceive themselves as older than their actual age might do so because they have fewer points of reference for assessing their psychological age, TCS said.

Another possible reason is that maturity in behavior and speech is often viewed positively, leading younger people to prefer appearing older and more mature, it said.

For middle-aged and older adults, feeling younger than their actual age could be because their lifestyles and self-identities are more stable, and their internal sense of time might slow down, it said.

Older adults might also want to distance themselves from negative stereotypes associated with older age, such as being old-fashioned or experiencing physical decline, it said.

That could help explain the popular belief that maintaining a youthful mindset helps people stay young, it added.