Age just one factor in how old you feel

BEING young is not as much a matter of age, how you look or how you feel as much as where you live, according to a Eurobarometer survey.

At 50 years of age in Greece and Cyprus, you are still considered young. But move across the Mediterranean to Malta and youth ends at 36.

Even Ireland has stern views on who is young, and the bad news is that once you hit 39, you are over the hill. That’s two years sooner than the EU average, but two years later than across the water in Britain.

Despite this relatively early end to youth, Irish people were in the top three when it came to describing their stage of life. Together with the Greeks and Cypriots, more than half of those questioned described themselves as “young”.

But years only tell half the story.

There is a link between how old you feel and life satisfaction, the survey found. People of the same age were twice as likely to describe themselves as old if they were dissatisfied with their lives. The happier people were, the more likely they were to describe themselves as young.

Despite the recession, Irish people were very satisfied with their lives, coming in the top four when asked about their health, their living conditions and their ability to perform day-to-day activities.