January 15, 2012

You Think I Look HOW Old?

Before you ask someone how old they think you are...

Do not ask a kid. They guess that everyone is about a year older than they are.

Smile first. Those who make happy faces are consistently guessed to be younger than they really are.

Ask an older person. They tend to rate faces of all ages as equally attractive.

All of this is according to the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, as reported in a recent issue of Psychology Today.

Trying to make yourself look younger than you are? You might want to consider which is more important, being thought to be younger or being considered to be likable and honest. A University of Kansas study revealed that "When older adults look like they are trying to pass as more youthful versions of themselves, younger people see them as less likable and more deceitful."

Good thing I am not yet an "older adult".

17 comments:

  1. I know a woman who is in her 50's but refuses to accept it. Now there is nothing wrong with trying to be young at heart and be as active and relevant as possible. I also think seeing someone who is comfortable enough with themselves to be honest about their age is way more respectable and fun than the opposite. This person I know shops at all the stores that 16 year old girls shop and tries to be like that. It is seems kind of icky to see this because it is sad. So I agree with this article in Psychology Today.

    Jeremy Hayes
    Social Psychology
    MWF 10 AM

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  2. Everything has its time. Theres a time when your young and its not to big of a problem to wear the clothes you do because you are a teen. But was you grow comes the time when you move on and start to wear things that are more appropriate for people your age. No one will like some one that is always trying so hard to fit in especially if you are an older person. you will just be looked at like if you are crazy. This is probably why when adults are trying to pass more youthful they are not liked
    Emmanuel Arnaud
    General Psychology
    MWF 1110-1200
    Psyc-1113-WOL

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  3. General psychology MWF 1113 11:10

    I am a older guy who still skates and has fun with it.you have to surround yourself with people who are intrinsic.you will be a lot happier not matter how old you are.

    Morris 11:10

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    1. attachment:Randy Morris 11:10 MWF

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  4. I personally think age is just a number. However I notice that women are more judgmental when a woman tries to dress like a younger woman. Men are less likely to be judgmental. I do know that I have met quite a few older women that would put some of these younger women to shame.

    Brandy Hoyt
    General Psychology
    MWF 11:10 AM

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  5. Kids are definitely more honest than we sometimes want them to be. I would love to look as young as my mind feels but absolutely not as old as my body feels. I want to be liked but i also wanna be hot so if i had to choose it wouldn't really matter because i don't have enough money to buy the hotness i would like to achieve.

    Shawna Carrier
    MWF 12:10
    General Psychology

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  6. Kids are certainly brutal. My little boy recently discovered my age and he's quick to point out all the people I'm older than. I can definitely see how people could judge a person as dishonest when they see said person trying to dress/act/seem younger than they actually are. They are, in fact, trying to be somewhat dishonest by attempting to pass themselves off as something they aren't.

    Sarah Girty
    Social Psych
    9:10-10:00 MWF

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  7. I would have to say it is best to look mature and honest. Ive been told I look way younger than I really was even though I was still quite young. I believe a person should consider themselves as young as they feel. Age is really just a measurement and its hard to measure vitality the same way we measure a person's age.

    Tanner Cameron
    Personality Psych
    MWF 10:10am

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  8. Many young people are really immature. I believe its better to be mature even if it means being called old. I think it all depends on how we act instead of our age.

    Amanda Dornan
    General Psychology
    MWF 11:10 A.M.

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  9. Looking old is not the problem it feeling old that is the problem. To loved and wanted is
    more important. All you can do is Look as young as you can and be happy. (Rozella Hubert General Psych 12:10)

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  10. When i was around 16 everyone would say i looked old or my age. But now at 19 when people ask how old i am and i tell them they are shocked. They would guess i would be 17 or 18.
    Kristian Ramirez
    MWF 12:10
    Gen. Psych

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  11. That is true! I am only 19 yrs old and when i see a person 40 yrs or older trying to dress like me i dont think that nice looking at all. They need to act their own age . Its no shame being older i just think people shouldnt try to hide their age they should be truthful. Chances are they dont look any younger than if they hadnt even tried.Thats just dishonest to me.
    Mackenzie wiseman
    General psych
    12:10 MWF muskogee

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  12. I think people should be themselves and be happy with who they are. Unfortunatly people feel the pressures of society and feel they need to preserve their youth. When your young, you want to be seen as older and more mature....but as you get older your trying everything possible to look younger.

    Michelle Riemer
    910 social psych

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  13. I think that this is true... i would much rather see a older person being jolly rather than trying to dress or act like a kid my age. Its just weird..

    Skye Norwood
    Gen Psych
    12:10 MWF

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  14. Aging is part of life that some people find it hard to accept. Some believe in plastic surgery and many others in age defying products to keep them looking young and "attractive"; however, no matter how young people try to be there's one thing that's guaranteed. We all live to die.. So to those that stress over looks and age, let it be! Enjoy life completely, age gracefully, and never be ashamed of who you are.
    Amber Lindsey
    General Psych
    11:10 Warner

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  15. As a man who is cultivating a future bald spot I must ask...did they take baldness/hair thickness into account in this study? Between my aspiring bald spot and the gray in my beard, most people put me in the mid-forties [BTW, I am only 34... :-( ]

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  16. Amy Yelle MWF 9:10
    I sometimes get offended when people assume I am the younger between my sister and I... The other day, I experienced a situation in which I was disturbed at the measures that a 60 year old woman took to make herself seem much younger. My thoughts of her went from being positive, to being disturbed by her vanity. We all will age, there is no way to prevent it. But I do believe that smiling is the best face lift you can get...:)

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