Seniors Feeling More Confident about Their Looks

In today's world, we're surrounded by "the beautiful people" at every turn: TV shows and endless infomercials telling us how we can "improve" our faces and lose those love handles with the latest and greatest diet, and magazines with every other page featuring a digitally-altered model with a caption telling us why we need to look just like them.  Although we can all have moments of self-doubt, today it's even more understandable than ever for feelings of self-consciousness to surface, considering what's going on in the world around us.  But don't fret.  It doesn't have to be that way; in fact, research shows that the older we get, the better we feel about ourselves.

According to a Gallup survey of 85,000 people, here's what they found out from respondents aged 65 and older:

• 66% responded that they were happy with their appearance
• 64% of males who responded are happy with their looks, while 60% of women have the same feeling

The numbers above are the highest of any age group in this survey: in the 35 to 64 age range, only 54 percent were happy with their looks, and 61 percent in the 18-34 age group.  There are a few reasons why seniors may feel more confident in their appearance:

• Many seniors may be more relaxed in all aspects of their lives---this feeling can also carry over into how they feel about themselves and how they look.  For example, although they still want to look good, the sometimes unseen pressure of keeping up with the latest fashion trends is not the same as when they were younger.
• According to the American Senior Fitness Association, the overall number of seniors who exercise has increased over the years.  Exercise not only builds strength and stamina, but also builds confidence, both inside and out.
• The Gallup organization also surmised that another major reason for confidence expressed by seniors is that as we grow older, the expectations from society changes, leading seniors to feel better about their appearance.

To sum it up, when it comes to our appearance, confidence really does increase with age.  If you are exploring home care options, assisted living placement or in-home care for a loved one, contact us for a selection of options that may be right for you.