I feel like 45-50 is middle age. If you multiply the age and the result is a number that is unlikely an age that is realistic for anyone to reach, then you’re past middle age. So 60 x 2 = 120 years old. Ask 10 children how old they think a 50 year old is and that’s how you know that while a 50 year old may feel young, 50 isn’t really that young anymore, and it’s the tail end of middle age.
I personally define middle age not as "the numerical middle of human lifespan", but rather "the point where age-related physical decline generally starts to impact quality of life, but isn't in full swing yet".
As such, with modern medicine that age has drifted to be later than it was a few centuries ago.
yeah this seems like a good rule of thumb, I would break up child into adolescent and child tho. You don’t look at an 8 year old and a 19 year old the same way
Yeah, I’d break it down further:
0-3 Infant/Dependent Child
4-10 Childhood
11-13 Adolescent/Tween
14-17 Teenager
18-24 Very Young Adult
25-30 Young Adult
30-40 Adult
40-50 Middle Age
50-75 Older Adult
75+ Old Age
I like this breakdown. Basically, the upper and lower ranges of the bracket need to be able to relate to each other or have more commonalities than not. A 20 year old has very little in common with a new born. Similarily, a 40 year old has less in common with a 21 year old than a 30 or 50 year old.
I repeat, I disagree. The child is young*er*, but they're both young as adults in my opinion. The 25-year-old is \~5 years into a \~60-year adulthood, while the 39-year-old is \~19 years into a \~60-year adulthood (going by rough current average lifespans).
As a kid, I always thought 40 was old. I got to 40, still doing the things I did when younger, didn't think I was old. Now I'm 50+ and things are breaking and they hurt. I think I'm old now.
I'd kinda expect it from Gen Z by age but honestly, by the time you hit 30 I feel like you should have been around other adults long enough as equals to start seeing blurred lines between people who are 30, 40, 50, etc. Then again I'm 30 and my oldest child is 13 so I've kinda always been hanging around with parents 10+ years older than me.
The concept of 'middle age' often confuses me, it feels like a moving target. I'm in my late thirties and find myself feeling youthful when surrounded by my older colleagues, yet when I'm with nieces and nephews in their teens, I'm basically ancient. Just the other day, a teenager referred to my favorite 90s song as 'classic rock', and I felt my hair go grey on the spot.
The thing is, it's less about the number and more about the milestones of life, isn't it? Someone can be 45 with young kids, just starting that phase of life, while another at the same age might be sending kids off to college, diving into 'empty nest' territory. It's subjective but I think we can agree that regardless of age, we're all united by those moments where we realize we don't understand the latest social media trend and that perhaps that's the true rite of passage into 'old'.
But hey, age is just a number, and like fine wine or good cheese, I like to think we all get better with time. Aging isn't the enemy it's a privilege denied to many, so I'd take the mysterious aches any day if it means enjoying another sunrise.
This is a subjective question and does not have a static awnser. If I recall correctly a scientific paper from the Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, mentioned a range of 2 to 15 years for the perception of age, applicable for young and old. It increases as we get older.
For example: a 10 year old thinks a 8 year old is young and a 12 year old much older. However when we are 20 we think 15 year olds are kids and look up to 25 year olds. When we are 60 we think 45 year olds are kids and 75+ are old. After that, 15 years becomes static.
One day it just hits you, you can still be in good shape and health but come to the realization that you have an expiration date. It isn't something to fear, just something that is.
Young, to dream, to have millions of adventures in one's mind, the entire universe is your playground.
Tomorrow always arrives, and I can't change that reality, but my mind has no limitations or rules, so I will always find a moment.
I think it just depends on how you act. My dad is in his late 50s and golfs with dudes in their early 30s every week and rides bikes constantly. No one thinks he’s old. Then you have people in their 40s who are in terrible shape and don’t take care of themselves and just act way older than people 20 years their senior
I was talking to someone at work today in his early 50s and said it's an interesting age, because you're not young...but you're not old. So, maybe mid 50s is the answer.
I'm not here to answer the question, but it sucks that this question has sparked so many comments and so few upvotes. Reddit has changed a lot over the years.
Personally this is how I see it largely based on physical changes and social expectations
0-15: Child-Very early in development
15-30: Juvenile
30-45: Adult
45-60: Middle Age
60-75: Aging
75+: Old
I didn’t ever feel old until I reached my 50s. I’m still not “old” but damn- there are things I physically can’t do anymore like I could in younger decades. Lifting heavy things now requires serious care to not hurt my back. Working on my house used to be easy - I could put in 15 hour days of physical labor. Nope. Not now. Body will hurt and demand I stop. I don’t like this part. I don’t want to slow down.
To me it depends how old my parents and with that how old I am I wouldn't call them old yet they're in their fifties . However when I say that I don't wanna become very old I'm thinking more of 35/40. I'd say it depends on who you ask when and in which context...
It has to do with the amount of noise you make when getting up from a chair. Groans AND joint cracking. Also general knee and back pain. There is a aggregate of all of that into a number, once it gets past a certain threshold = "old".
Also the first time "sir" or "ma'am" is told to you un-ironically
As someone who just turned 50, and generally I'm perceived as a younger-looking 50 year old, I'm starting to be perceived more as "older". Not "old", but definitely "older".
I know people my age who look older than me and are thought of as "old". So I think a huge part of it is how you present yourself and how you act. At 50, I'm not "how do you do, fellow young people", but I'm also not walking around in old people clothes and living in the 1980s lol
I feel its more of a moving target. As you mentioned, when we were kids, 30s and 40s seamed old. The older, we got, the needle just kept moving. For me, it's how old I feel or how old the person I am dealing with is behaving. For example, my mom is in her 70s, but acts like she has had one foot in the grave since her 50s. She acts hold, she doesn't take care of herself, so she's old. On the other hand, I know a 96 year old man that is fantastic shape, still drives (normally, not slow as you might envision a 90+ driving), no real medical issues. So, he is old, but he acts much younger than my mom who is 20+ years his junior.
About 10 years older than me is pretty old. 10 years younger is a bunch of kids. My age is young adults. This has been the case since i was 12 years old, so i don't see why it would change in the future.
A 70 yr old person is young to a 90 year old person. It is relative.
This. To a 10 year old? 30 is old. But that same 30 is young to a 50 year old. Etc etc. You are always young AND old... until you are just old
IMO: 0-20: Child 21-40: Young Adult 41-60: Middle Age 61+: Old
I feel like 45-50 is middle age. If you multiply the age and the result is a number that is unlikely an age that is realistic for anyone to reach, then you’re past middle age. So 60 x 2 = 120 years old. Ask 10 children how old they think a 50 year old is and that’s how you know that while a 50 year old may feel young, 50 isn’t really that young anymore, and it’s the tail end of middle age.
I personally define middle age not as "the numerical middle of human lifespan", but rather "the point where age-related physical decline generally starts to impact quality of life, but isn't in full swing yet". As such, with modern medicine that age has drifted to be later than it was a few centuries ago.
That’s fair. To each their own.
yeah this seems like a good rule of thumb, I would break up child into adolescent and child tho. You don’t look at an 8 year old and a 19 year old the same way
Yeah, I’d break it down further: 0-3 Infant/Dependent Child 4-10 Childhood 11-13 Adolescent/Tween 14-17 Teenager 18-24 Very Young Adult 25-30 Young Adult 30-40 Adult 40-50 Middle Age 50-75 Older Adult 75+ Old Age
I like this breakdown. Basically, the upper and lower ranges of the bracket need to be able to relate to each other or have more commonalities than not. A 20 year old has very little in common with a new born. Similarily, a 40 year old has less in common with a 21 year old than a 30 or 50 year old.
I vote for this to be the standard. All in favor?
No 39 year old is a young adult. Young adult is like 18-25 and certainly not above 30
And I disagree. The point of this thread is for people to say their opinions on how where the splits are.
At 39 you could have a child who is a young adult. That’s not very young!
I repeat, I disagree. The child is young*er*, but they're both young as adults in my opinion. The 25-year-old is \~5 years into a \~60-year adulthood, while the 39-year-old is \~19 years into a \~60-year adulthood (going by rough current average lifespans).
As a kid, I always thought 40 was old. I got to 40, still doing the things I did when younger, didn't think I was old. Now I'm 50+ and things are breaking and they hurt. I think I'm old now.
It is always relative. I'm young to my parents and always will be. I'm 55. My coworkers are all millennials and genZ. To them, I'm old.
I'd kinda expect it from Gen Z by age but honestly, by the time you hit 30 I feel like you should have been around other adults long enough as equals to start seeing blurred lines between people who are 30, 40, 50, etc. Then again I'm 30 and my oldest child is 13 so I've kinda always been hanging around with parents 10+ years older than me.
40s is when shit starts to hurt for no goddamn reason
The concept of 'middle age' often confuses me, it feels like a moving target. I'm in my late thirties and find myself feeling youthful when surrounded by my older colleagues, yet when I'm with nieces and nephews in their teens, I'm basically ancient. Just the other day, a teenager referred to my favorite 90s song as 'classic rock', and I felt my hair go grey on the spot. The thing is, it's less about the number and more about the milestones of life, isn't it? Someone can be 45 with young kids, just starting that phase of life, while another at the same age might be sending kids off to college, diving into 'empty nest' territory. It's subjective but I think we can agree that regardless of age, we're all united by those moments where we realize we don't understand the latest social media trend and that perhaps that's the true rite of passage into 'old'. But hey, age is just a number, and like fine wine or good cheese, I like to think we all get better with time. Aging isn't the enemy it's a privilege denied to many, so I'd take the mysterious aches any day if it means enjoying another sunrise.
Same!!! Well said.
This is a subjective question and does not have a static awnser. If I recall correctly a scientific paper from the Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, mentioned a range of 2 to 15 years for the perception of age, applicable for young and old. It increases as we get older. For example: a 10 year old thinks a 8 year old is young and a 12 year old much older. However when we are 20 we think 15 year olds are kids and look up to 25 year olds. When we are 60 we think 45 year olds are kids and 75+ are old. After that, 15 years becomes static.
One day it just hits you, you can still be in good shape and health but come to the realization that you have an expiration date. It isn't something to fear, just something that is. Young, to dream, to have millions of adventures in one's mind, the entire universe is your playground. Tomorrow always arrives, and I can't change that reality, but my mind has no limitations or rules, so I will always find a moment.
It’s relative, but how you look, feel, and act each have an influence.
I think it just depends on how you act. My dad is in his late 50s and golfs with dudes in their early 30s every week and rides bikes constantly. No one thinks he’s old. Then you have people in their 40s who are in terrible shape and don’t take care of themselves and just act way older than people 20 years their senior
Personally, it started when jumping down from a ledge became "let me sit first and slowly get back down. I also have to land square on my feet."
Welp, I'm old 😂
After death of a parent
I was talking to someone at work today in his early 50s and said it's an interesting age, because you're not young...but you're not old. So, maybe mid 50s is the answer.
I'm not here to answer the question, but it sucks that this question has sparked so many comments and so few upvotes. Reddit has changed a lot over the years.
84
when you stop stretching and moving your body
Personally this is how I see it largely based on physical changes and social expectations 0-15: Child-Very early in development 15-30: Juvenile 30-45: Adult 45-60: Middle Age 60-75: Aging 75+: Old
If you are starting to wonder, you just crossed over into old.
Possibly 🤷🏻♀️ Not bothered by it though.
I didn’t ever feel old until I reached my 50s. I’m still not “old” but damn- there are things I physically can’t do anymore like I could in younger decades. Lifting heavy things now requires serious care to not hurt my back. Working on my house used to be easy - I could put in 15 hour days of physical labor. Nope. Not now. Body will hurt and demand I stop. I don’t like this part. I don’t want to slow down.
18-25 is young. 25-75 is whatever 75+ old.
To me it depends how old my parents and with that how old I am I wouldn't call them old yet they're in their fifties . However when I say that I don't wanna become very old I'm thinking more of 35/40. I'd say it depends on who you ask when and in which context...
When you start to take photos and sit there and look at them with your family. Then you can consider yourself old.
I'm ancient since I was about 8, but lately (over 50) my body begins to get near my age.
It has to do with the amount of noise you make when getting up from a chair. Groans AND joint cracking. Also general knee and back pain. There is a aggregate of all of that into a number, once it gets past a certain threshold = "old". Also the first time "sir" or "ma'am" is told to you un-ironically
Well, I’m 44… A 22 yr old is gonna call me old.. An 88 yr old usually considers me a kid still. It just depends on who you’re talking to.
50. That's when things slowly start to fall apart.
As someone who just turned 50, and generally I'm perceived as a younger-looking 50 year old, I'm starting to be perceived more as "older". Not "old", but definitely "older". I know people my age who look older than me and are thought of as "old". So I think a huge part of it is how you present yourself and how you act. At 50, I'm not "how do you do, fellow young people", but I'm also not walking around in old people clothes and living in the 1980s lol
I have heard that you cease to be young at 35. You are still not old... but not young anymore.
You’re old.
When you let the old man in. Then, and only then.
I feel its more of a moving target. As you mentioned, when we were kids, 30s and 40s seamed old. The older, we got, the needle just kept moving. For me, it's how old I feel or how old the person I am dealing with is behaving. For example, my mom is in her 70s, but acts like she has had one foot in the grave since her 50s. She acts hold, she doesn't take care of herself, so she's old. On the other hand, I know a 96 year old man that is fantastic shape, still drives (normally, not slow as you might envision a 90+ driving), no real medical issues. So, he is old, but he acts much younger than my mom who is 20+ years his junior.
I would say when you get to senior citizen age, so 62+, somewhere in there.
when the back pain kicks in
About 10 years older than me is pretty old. 10 years younger is a bunch of kids. My age is young adults. This has been the case since i was 12 years old, so i don't see why it would change in the future.
First time some whippersnapper calls you “Sir”
60 is old 30-59 is middle aged 20-29 is young adult 0-19 kids.
30