Remember when 29 seemed like an absolutely ancient age? Yeah, us neither. But 29 is apparently the actual age you start to feel properly old. If you're a woman, anyway. Men, on the other hand, don't start to feel old until they're way into middle age -- 58 to be precise.
But age isn't everything. The poll, done by Avalon Funeral Plans in the U.K., found some other interesting indicators of old age. For instance, women start to feel ancient as soon as they find their first grey hair. Men aren't so worried -- and why should they be with silver foxes like George Clooney and Richard Gere dominating many a womanly fantasy?
Women also start to feel over the hill once their skin becomes less luminous and their "assets" (as in, breasts) start to sag. Whereas it takes much more for a man to feel past his prime -- the study found guys don't feel old until they're unable to perform in the bedroom, which -- given Hugh Hefner's track record and the advent of Viagra -- sometimes doesn't happen for a very looooooooong time.
But if women judge feelings of age on things like looks, it's not our fault.
"In our society, the attractiveness of women is quite important. Men don't have to be good looking, but, for some reason, it's important for women to look presentable," Professor Cary Cooper of Lancaster University told the Daily Mail. "Magazines are all about youth and are filled with young, attractive women. Women then start to perceive themselves as old when they no longer feel like this, when they don't feel trendy or fashionable. Men, on the other hand, don't have to be good looking; it doesn't concern them."
There's another facet to all this too, says Dr. Cooper. While men tend to be more career-oriented, and, therefore, don't start feeling their age until they've moved up the ladder and are nearing retirement, women feel pressure to settle down and raise a family once they turn 30.