The Scientific Reason People From The Past Look Older At The Same Age

Whether it's a movie from the 1950s or a commercial from the 1980s, there's a good chance you might have noticed a common theme: People back in the day looked old for their age. And it's not just one or two people who looked 50 or so, despite only being in their early 30s or younger, but it seemed to be a situation that plagued almost everyone. The reason? Retrospective aging.

According to educator and public speaker Michael Stevens, retrospective aging is when people from the past appear to be older than they are. But what's interesting about retrospective aging is that it's an illusion that's linked to how people dressed and styled themselves in the past and how we've associated such looks with certain decades. For example, we may see an 18-year-old woman wearing the popular fashion of the 1960s, with her hair and makeup done up to fit the style of the time, and because of this, she may look like she's in her 40s, as opposed to the teenager she actually is.

"We think people looked older in the past, because they look the way old people do today," said Stevens in one of his videos on his YouTube channel Vsauce, explaining that for many, even though styles evolve, people tend to stay connected to the look that defined them in their youth. After all, there's the idea that people should dress their age, so people tend to play it safe, sticking to what they know. But the reason for this isn't just perception, illusion, and how our brains make associations; there's actually more to it. 

Not only are people living longer, but the aging process has slowed, which can also contribute to why 30-somethings today look their age or younger, as opposed to looking 50- or 60-something, like people in older generations. According to a 2015 study published in Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, "survival time" has been extended thanks to medical innovation and overall public health. The research referenced a study in Sweden that found that elderly Swedish men are actually three to four years younger than men of the same age in past generations. In other words, the year on their birth certificate hadn't changed, but how their body faced challenges and functioned was at a younger biological age. Naturally, this is a result of lifestyle differences from previous generations.

For example, smoking, a major contributing factor to aging someone not just externally, but internally has been on the decline. According to a January 2024 report published by the World Health Organization, while 1 in 5 adults smoked cigarettes in 2000, by 2022, that number had dropped to 1 in 3. There's also the fact that more people are finally using sunscreen. "We're more aware of the damage the sun does and how important it is to wear SPF, alongside leading a healthy lifestyle, not smoking and overall environmental dangers which can damage our skin," dermatologist Dr. Ross Perry told Dazed. And these are just the natural tweaks we've made as a society. Once we get into Botox and other types of cosmetic surgery, that's a whole other level of aging slower.

For the most part, if you're a millennial or a Gen-Zer, you've had it fairly easy compared to the generations of the past. The Silent Generation, those born between 1928 and 1945, were up against WWII as well as The Great Depression — life experiences that can definitely impact someone negatively. Even though the Boomers got lucky in many ways, reaping the economic growth after the end of WWII and actually being able to afford to buy a home, their generation wasn't without their own challenges like the Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs, and the assassination of three prominent political figures that would forever change history. Granted, Gen X, the millennials, and Gen Z have had some bumps in the road, but not to the extent that it would have aged them in the way past generations were aged by external factors.

So, will you look like Norm from "Cheers" to future generations when you, too, are only 34? It's hard to say. It depends on just how much fashion and style change, as well as what things life throws your way.