b'How Old You Feel by Age88n Age You Feel n Actual Age8277 76Takeaway 72 7067 65On average, people62 60who are 53 feel like57 56theyre 47 53 5247 48On average, people who are 82 feel like theyre 70Source: HRS, 2018Self-imageHow we feel about ourselves and the things that are important to us are another important aspect of life. HRS asks how old do you feel? On average, whatever age we actually are we feel about ten years younger. Some things have only a small effect on how old we feel. Having a lot of money, for example, doesnt make much difference. Two things stand out as important in how old we feel. The first is no surpriseits health. People who say their health is excellent feel about 12 years younger than people the same age who say their health is poor. Just about as important as health, though, is having a sense of purpose in life. For some people a sense of purpose comes from work. For others it comes from family and for others it can come from being involved in their church or community. If we can see what makes us feel younger maybe that knowledge can help find ways to slow down aging for everyone.66% of people agree their life has a45% of people agree that as they get older, things sense of direction & purpose are better than they thought they would beSource: HRS, 2018 Source: HRS, 2018EmotionsOur emotions are often a reaction to particular situations. But how we tend to feel can also be consistent over time or can change as we age. Emotions such as contentment, happiness, and feeling calm tend to be pretty consistent from age 50 onward. On the other hand, feeling nervous tends to decrease as we age.5926'