The answer lies in a phenomenon called retrospective aging. Coach and public speaker Michael Stevens explained that it is a distorted perception that makes people from the past appear older than they actually were.
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However, most often it is a visual illusion caused by the clothes, hairstyles, and makeup worn in the past, which our brains associate with old age.
For example, if we see a photo of an 18-year-old girl taken in the seventies, her hairstyle and makeup may make us think she is 40 years old. This is because older people today may wear similar hairstyles and clothes.
“We think people in the past looked older because they resemble current older people,” said M. Stevens. He added that many people stick to past styles because they are familiar and safe. But it is not just an illusion. People age more slowly.
People age more slowly.
Besides the visual illusion, people actually biologically age more slowly. We live longer and better than ever before. A 2015 study published in the journal Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine found that older Swedish men were biologically 3–4 years younger than men of the same age from previous generations. In other words: they were the same age, but their bodies functioned like those of younger people.
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Why? Mostly because of lifestyle. For example, smoking has greatly decreased – one of the biggest factors accelerating aging. According to WHO data, in 2000 one in five adults smoked, and by 2022 this number had decreased to a third. People also use more sun protection products.
Healthy living, fewer environmental hazards, and adding Botox and cosmetic surgery make it clear that aging today is completely different than before.
Besides everything else, one must also consider life hardships. Wars, crises, famine – these are events that left a strong mark on previous generations, reports “Tyla”.
Will we also look old to future generations?
Who knows. Much depends on how fashion trends develop, what choices people make in life, and what challenges await in the future. But one thing is clear: today we view aging differently – and this is reflected in its perception.
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