Researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel discovered that feeling young can increase the chances of successful rehabilitation from medical conditions, even in old age.
The scientists tracked 194 patients aged between 73 and 84 undergoing rehabilitation from osteoporotic fractures or stroke in several rehabilitation facilities in Israel. All participants were interviewed several times during their rehabilitation to estimate their subjective age (how young they felt), feelings, and experiences.
The researchers noticed that those who felt younger (had a younger subjective age) at hospital admission demonstrated better functional independence at discharge one month later.
One of the lead researchers, Prof. Amit Shrira, from the Gerontology Program at the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, says: “The effect of subjective age at admission on functional independence at discharge was confirmed. However, the reverse effect — that of functional independence at admission on subjective age at discharge — was not confirmed. This supports the conclusion that a younger age identity is an important psychological construct that contributes to more successful rehabilitation.”
