The changing definition of “old”
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Birthdays don’t matter anymore, says the Association of Mature American Citizens, which caters to the 50-plus set. You are only as old as you feel, adds AMAC, which cites research published by the International Institute for Applied Systems.
IIASA World Population Program Deputy Director, Sergei Scherbov, led the study and he says “what we think of as old has changed over time, and it will need to continue changing in the future as people live longer, healthier lives.”
It used to be that individuals in their 60s were automatically considered “old,” but the researchers at the IIASA point out that these days men in women in that age group “have characteristics of much younger people.” Scherbov argues that they are, in fact, middle aged, considering not only today’s extended life expectancy but also the active lifestyles of today’s sexagenarians, septuagenarians and even octogenarians.