Why are subjective evaluations of age important to the sense of self?

Throughout life, subjective evaluations of age are important parts of the sense of self. Children, adolescents, and emerging adults tend to perceive themselves as older than their chronological age, but adults older than 30 tend to have younger subjective ages, and the discrepancy between subjective and chronological age increases into middle adulthood. Adults tend to consistently identify with their younger selves, perhaps as a compensatory strategy to counteract the negative cultural messages associated with aging and to maximize their happiness. Subjective age is multidimensional and people are more likely to feel younger in areas that tend to be associated with negative age-related stereotypes, such as cognitive aging and health. Longitudinal samples suggest that older adults feel about 13 years younger, on average, than their chronological age. Cross-cultural research found this difference between subjective and chronological age among adults in 18 countries. As compared with men, women tend to hold more youthful self-concepts, perhaps because Western cultures tend to define aging as a more negative experience for women than men. Women with younger age identities tend to be more optimistic than men about their cognitive competencies, their ability to maintain memory, and other aspects of cognitive abilities regardless of their actual age, although this effect is also seen in men to some degree.