Journal

Research has shown that most adults think of themselves as younger than their actual chronological age (e.g., Kas-tenbaum, Derbin, Sabatini, & Artt, 1972; Öberg & Torn-stam, 2001). Cross-sectional studies of self-perceived or subjective age across the lifespan show an increasing dis-crepancy between subjective age and actual age as people grow older (e.g., Goldsmith & Heiens, 1992; Kastenbaum et al., 1972; Öberg & Tornstam, 2001). This discrepancy is generally regarded as a denial of aging that is most pro-nounced in old age (e.g., Barak, Mathur, Lee, & Zhang, 2001; Peters, 1971; Ward, 1977). Montepare and Lachman (1989) have summarized this view: “Theorists in the aging field have suggested that the tendency of aging adults to maintain younger subjective age identities is a form of defensive denial by which they can dissociate themselves from the stigma attached to growing old ” (p. 73). Follow-ing this age-denial view, a youthful subjective age is an indicator of successful aging (e.g., Uotinen, Suutama, & Ruoppila, 2003), which is consistent with studies showing that subjective age is a better predictor of psychological and physical functioning in old age than is chronologica