What Is Your True Age?
If you’re going by the calendar to measure your age then you may be under false ideas of your real age! Chronological age, whereby we go by the number of years we have lived, is in fact a rather flawed method of calculating true age. It does not take into account many things and simply lets us know how many times we’ve spun round the sun.
How do we identify with this ‘chronological age’? It’s just a number. An arbitrary unit of measurement we jot down on birthday cards and on forms. How does it define us? If studies are unable to experimentally explain gaining then in terms of advice on healthy living what are we supposed to follow? Yes we may have just celebrated our 40th birthday but it only makes us another 24 hours older.
Maybe one reason we all identify with our chronological age is because of technology and industrialisation? We measure time first from sun dials, and then via primitive clocks and then digital time devices accurate within milliseconds. Work is scheduled via precise time management, calculating the hours of work and production.
On forms in job applications our age follows our name and address. In accidents or crime we are defined instantly by our age and in retirement we are given an exact age of which to clock out for good.
So it cannot simply be possible that our chronological age is a true indicator but in fact our real age is a combination of three dimensions that influence and affect each individual differently depending on how we choose to live our lives. These dimensions are the Psychological, Social and Biological effects to which we can add together our true age.
The Psychological Dimension
The first dimensions in which we can begin to measure our true age are the psychological factors in our life. This is composed of the emotional and the cognitive. Naturally with age, our grasp of memory begins to slide and we often become forgetful, claiming we are having ‘senile moments’. Yet in fact it is the labelling of this which can make things much worse. Media has enforced the idea of labelling the smallest of problems and simple brain exercises and keeping busy can lower your cognitive age. Typically the aerobic capacity (the amount of oxygen that manages to reach the brain) generally decreases by approximately 1% every year after our prime.
Comparatively it’s more beneficial to be emotionally older. Experiencing the emotional highs and lows in youth can be stressful whilst we are also aware of the wisdom that resides with our older appears of whom we often seek advice. At an older age we can more control of our emotions, we understand our triggers of stress and happiness, we know ourselves much more than we may have done decades ago. It’s therefore desirable to be younger in cognitive and older in the emotional dimensions.
The Biological Dimension
Calculating your biological age is probably the most difficult of all. It’s handy to collate a few figures about your body to begin with, such as your aerobic power, blood pressure and blood sugar levels and so forth. The amount of bad food, drink we consume naturally damages our internal organs as well as taking harmful drugs and smoking. As such the damage can age our biological mechanisms far beyond our chronological age.
After the age of between 30 to 40 cardiovascular and respiratory health declines by 1%, so after contacting a specialist who can measure your biological age and you find it’s less than 1%, you’re winning!
An easy way to measure biological age is by height! Over time gravity and bone density causes our spinal column to lose up to half an inch in length every decade after the age of 40. This can naturally be reduced by consistent exercise, and good nutrition for your bones.
The Social Dimension
Lastly but certainly not least is the measure of social expectation. The achievement of qualifications, the job role we have attained, how far up the ladder we have climbed. For most, by the age of 21/22 we have completed a degree and enter the world of work ad by statistics many of us become a parents by the age of around 25 to 30.
Society judges us by how wealthy we are, whether or not we own a big house and two cars ad so if we fall behind at our middle years with no family and a dead end job our social age is reduced to that of a similar age to a teenager in the same position!
It works the other way too, for those lucky few who are wealthy enough to retire at a young age have a social age of over 60! Of course biology can have an influence in this such as our ability to create a family and live to an average life expectancy.
What does it all amount to?
How do you feel? How have you stacked up using the three dimensions of true age? Does it compare to your chronological age? However you fair, remember to ignore the date on the calendar as it holds no context or relevance but only as a reminder to how many days you’ve lived. You’re only as old as your mind, your body and society deems you to be.
We’re happier when we don’t dwell on limitations or old memories. So maybe the best way to live is to forget about the past, eat well, plenty of exercise, gain wisdom and knowledge but maybe social expectation can take a back seat. As it’s what you think and feel that really matters.
Dear Readers,
How do you feel about the accuracy of age? What do you think is the best ay to measure true age?
Share your thoughts by commenting below!
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