FEELING YOUNGER EVERY DAY? - Daily Activities and Subjective Age in the Health and Retirement Study

Sep 29, 2026

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Subjective age—how old people feel—shapes beliefs about aging and carries important implications for health and well-being. This study analyzes how feeling younger than one’s chronological age relates to daily activities during the prior 24 hours. Using weighted generalized linear models with data from 4,251 adults over 50 (2020 Health and Retirement Leave-Behind Questionnaire), it tests links between subjective age discrepancy and engagement in 19 activities and time spent on them. Feeling younger correlates with greater involvement and more time in cognitive, physical, social, and health-promoting activities, even after adjusting for demographics, chronic conditions, and daily living limitations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study purpose and design

Measures and analytic approach

Key findings and implications

634 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2169 FEELING YOUNGER EVERY DAY? DAILY ACTIVITIES AND SUBJECTIVE AGE IN THE HEALTH AND RETIREMENT STUDY Wassim Tarraf1, Sangwoo Ahn2, Kimson Johnson3, Yeonwoo Kim4, Kafayat Mahmoud5, Samuel Van Vleet6, Jiao Yu7, and Briana Mezuk8, 1. Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States, 2. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 635 3. University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 4. The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States, 5. Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 6. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, United States, 7. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 8. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Subjective age (i.e., how old one “feels”) reflects beliefs about aging, both positive and negative, and is consequential to health and well-being. The mechanisms through which subjective age is linked to health are likely through age-salient social interactions and engagement in health promoting daily activities. This study examined the relationship between subjective age and activities in the prior 24 hours. We used data from n = 4,251 adults aged >50-years who completed the 2020 Health and Retirement Leave-Behind Questionnaire. Weighted generalized linear models (logistic and Poisson) tested whether, and to what extent, feeling younger than one’s age (i.e., discrepancy between chronological and subjective age) is associated with (a) engagement in 19 typical daily relevant activities (No/Yes) and (b) time spent doing these activities (No time to 7+hours) . All models adjusted for demographics, number of chronic conditions (r=0-8), and limitations in activities of daily living (r = 0-5) . On average, people felt 8.7 years older (SD: +11.8) than their actual age. Feeling younger was positively associated with volunteering, walking, exercising, socializing, reading, and religious activities, as well as more time spent doing these activities. Feeling younger was also linked to increased time spent traveling, running errands, and seeking quiet time (e.g. meditating) . Controlling for health burden and functional impairments, feeling younger is associated with greater engagement in, and time spent doing, cognitive, physical, and social activities, offering opportunities for scalable, community-based programming focused on these activities to promote health and well-being.

FAQs

What does subjective age mean in this study?

Subjective age refers to how old people feel. The study focuses on the discrepancy between chronological and subjective age.

How was the relationship between feeling younger and daily activities tested?

Weighted generalized linear models tested whether and to what extent feeling younger was associated with both whether adults engaged in 19 activities and how much time they spent on them.

Which daily activity types showed positive associations with feeling younger?

Feeling younger was positively associated with volunteering, walking, exercising, socializing, reading, and religious activities, and with more time spent on activities such as traveling, errands, and seeking quiet time like meditation.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Ophelia