Surveyed 308 elderly persons to examine how young they feel and why. Results indicated feeling younger than one's age was associated with psychological health even when the effects of several confounding variables were statistically controlled. Purpose in life was the strongest correlate of identified age. (JAC)

Although researchers have investigated the chronological age-subjective age discrepancy in several ways, they have, for the most part, ignored where and how older persons live. The lifestyles of elderly Los Angeles residents (N=308), i.e., institutionalized, socially active in the community, or socially inactive in the community, were taken into…