Our Perceptions of Older Adults Who Do Not Act Their Age
A new study investigated the public’s opinion on people who feel young at heart.
Updated May 19, 2026 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma
Does the public have a good or bad opinion of people who act younger than their biological age?
In psychological research, different forms of age can be distinguished. On the one hand, there is the objective biological age, defined as the time passed since the person was born. On the other hand, there is the subjective or felt age. Two people with the same birth year do not necessarily need to have the same felt age. Sometimes people in their 30s say things like “I feel like a 70-year-old,” but there are also older adults who feel much younger on the inside than their biological age would suggest. While research has shown that staying young at heart at age 65 or older is great for both health and psychological well-being, it is less clear whether the public has a positive or negative view of people who feel much younger than they are. While younger people may celebrate older adults who stay young at heart, there may also be backlash because these people do not “act their age.” Younger adults may feel that some behaviors typically associated with being younger may be “cringeworthy” for someone over 65. Therefore, more research is needed on how younger people perceive older people who are young at heart.
A new study on the public perception of people who stay young at heart
A new study, just published in the scientific journal Psychology and Aging , focuses on the attitudes of younger and middle-aged adults towards older adult targets who had a younger felt age than their biological age ( Gourley and Chasteen, 2026 ). The study, “Celebrate or derogate? Reactions to older adults who feel young at heart,” was authored by scientists Amy N. Gourley and Alison L. Chasteen from the University of Toronto in Canada. In the study, the scientists performed two different experiments.
In the first experiment, data were collected online from 213 volunteers aged between 18 and 34 years. Each volunteer had to read two stories about describing an older man or woman. The older person in the story had a biological age of 75 years or 65 years. Their felt age was either the same as their biological age, or 20 years younger (55 or 45 years), or 40 years younger (35 or 25 years).
The volunteers had to rate the people in the stories they read regarding whether they were friendly and kind, smart and competent, and how much they liked the person overall. Moreover, the volunteers had to indicate whether they would like to interact with the person and to what extent they thought the person would violate age stereotypes.
In the second experiment, even more volunteers were tested. In this experiment, data were collected from 672 volunteers (335 younger adults and 337 middle-aged adults). Like the first experiment, people had to read stories about older adults. In this part of the study, the story was about an older adult with a biological age of 65 years and a felt age of either 65, 45, or 25 years. The same information as in the first experiment was collected, and several additional questions on the perceived cognitive and physical health of the person in the story were asked.
Results of the study: Older people who feel young at heart are seen positively, but only if they do not violate age stereotypes too much
The results of the first experiment showed that younger people generally have a positive perception of older people who stay young at heart. Using advanced statistical analyses, the scientists found that older people who had a felt age of 20 years or 40 years younger than their biological age were perceived as more competent (smart, bright, and independent) than older adults whose felt age was the same as their biological age. There were no differences between age groups regarding perceived warmth, overall liking, and the intention to interact with the person in the story. However, when the scientists included the perceived violation of age stereotypes into the statistical model, an interesting pattern emerged. A stronger perceived violation of age stereotypes was linked to lower perceived warmth, lower overall liking, and lower intention to interact. These findings suggest a mixed perception of older adults who feel young at heart. On the one hand, they are perceived as competent examples of successful aging, which is positive. On the other hand, contradicting too much of what society expects from an older person may result in a negative perception by younger people.
In the second experiment, the effect of perceived competence in older adults with a lower felt age found in the first experiment was replicated. Moreover, older people with a younger felt age were rated as significantly healthier than older people whose biological and felt age were identical. In this cohort, older adults who felt younger were also perceived as warmer and were liked more. Again, similar to the first experiment, a stronger perceived violation of age stereotypes was linked to lower overall liking and lower intention to interact.
The two experiments of the study show that younger people generally have a positive view of older adults who stay young at heart on several levels. However, this perception is critically influenced by the extent to which age-related stereotypes are violated. Older adults who violate too many societal perceptions about age-appropriate behavior are seen less positively.
Gourley AN, Chasteen AL. (2026). Celebrate or derogate? Reactions to older adults who feel young at heart. Psychol Aging. doi: 10.1037/pag0000994. Epub ahead of print.
Share this post Facebook Bluesky Linkedin Email
There was a problem adding your email address. Please try again.
By submitting your information you agree to the Psychology Today Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
Sebastian Ocklenburg, Ph.D., is a professor for research methods in psychology at the Department of Psychology at MSH Medical School in Hamburg, Germany. His research focuses on left-handedness and brain asymmetries.
Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today.
This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.