At what point do we reach “old age”? This question was explored in a study of over 14,000 people in Germany, and the results suggest that perceptions of old age have evolved over the generations, with younger people tending to perceive the onset of seniority as starting later than their elders.

The international team of researchers from Stanford University, the University of Luxembourg and the University of Greifswald, Germany, and Humboldt University in Berlin explored the matter in depth by surveying 14,056 German residents born between 1911 and 1974. The experts asked them a simple question: “At what age would you describe someone as old?”

“We found that at age 64, the average perceived onset of old age is around 75 years,” the researchers wrote in a paper published in the journal Psychology and Aging.

Those aged 74, meanwhile, said old age began at 76.8. “Longitudinally, this perceived onset age increased by about one year for every 4–5 years of actual ageing,” the study notes.

With the volunteers having answered survey questions up to eight times over a 25-year period, the experts noted that younger generations perceived old age as starting later. For example, when those born in 1911 were 65 years old, they considered old age to begin at the age of 71. Meanwhile, 65-year-olds who were born in 1956 said the onset of old age was at 74.

These results can be explained by the increase in life expectancy and later retirement. Moreover, “some aspects of health have improved over time, so people of a certain age who were regarded as old in the past may no longer be considered old nowadays”, said study author Markus Wettstein of Humboldt University.

Is this an encouraging sign that ageism is coming to an end? Not necessarily, according to Wettstein.

“It is unclear to what extent the trend towards postponing old age reflects a trend towards more positive views on older people and ageing, or rather the opposite – perhaps the onset of old age is postponed because people consider being old to be an undesirable state,” he said. “The trend toward postponing old age is not linear and might not necessarily continue in the future.”

The researchers also note that the later perception of old age has slowed over the past two decades. The findings also indicate that women set the threshold for old age two years later, on average, than men.

In addition, the researchers found that feeling older, lonelier, being more prone to chronic illness, and being less healthy were all factors that, when combined, can actually promote the perception of an earlier onset of old age.

The authors now hope to extend their research, particularly to non-western countries, to understand how perceptions of ageing may vary in relation to ethnic origin and culture.