The cliché you're only as old as you feel holds some truth. Most adults report feeling younger than their actual age by up to 20%. While signs of aging (like creaky joints or wrinkles) remind us that time is indeed passing, keeping a positive self-perception of aging and viewing yourself as young is related to brain health.
Researchers of a 2018 study used a survey to evaluate people's subjective age and an MRI scan to objectively measure brain aging. They found that elderly folks who felt younger than their actual age showed fewer signs of brain aging than those who felt older.
Since brain health and your mental perception of aging may be more closely entwined than once thought, slowing down brain aging can help keep you mentally and physically young.
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