# Is age 40 considered "old"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 5, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-age-40-considered-old/238423 "2004-04-05T19:58:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-age-40-considered-old/238423/61 "2004-04-13T13:17:53Z")
Just wanted to re-chime in again to say that I feel it warrants a mention that “old” is underrated. I mean, it seems to be under discussion here as the age that no one wants to be. Of course, your body physically packing up is unpleasant, but at a lot of the ages thrown about here that wouldn’t be much of an issue yet. I think the fear of _looking_ more than about 25 doesn’t make a lot of sense either and is mainly fuelled by the media. I’d much rather have the charisma of someone a bit older than that fresh faced puppy look. I personally really look forward to being older. I’m still hoping that in ten year’s time I’ll be a lot more at ease with myself, that I’ll be a lot more sorted materially and that I will have generally found my way in life. (just in time for the mid-life crisis. 🙂 ) And even though there would definetely be downside to being really quite old (70-odd or so) I do really look forward to telling all the young 'uns that music was better in my day, prices lower and that they generally don’t know anything at all about life because their just babies. This to anyone up to about 60. Could be fun! ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-age-40-considered-old/238423/62 "2004-04-13T18:14:08Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Well, there’s a good argument to be made that it’s anything over 30. After all, the biological blueprint for humans had us dying off at about age 30 or so for the first million years or so of our existance. It wasn’t until recently, relatively speaking, that we started screwing with the blueprint and have now doubled our lifespans at a minimum. Ah, no. Lifespan has not changed. The biological “blueprint” as you call it has us topping out at around age 100, give or take. Life expectancy has changed. Advances in medicine, food production, etc., changed our expectancy, much of it in the last 100 years. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-age-40-considered-old/238423/63 "2004-04-13T19:39:24Z")
I’m 52, but I look ten years younger, and I’ve only spent one night in a hospital my entire life. I don’t feel old. I figure I’ll be old when I’m no longer interested in sex, which will be when I’m 115 or so. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-age-40-considered-old/238423/64 "2004-04-14T02:44:36Z")
Once you’re over the hill, you pick up speed… I’m on the luge to hell! I’m 57. My husband turned 40 five days ago. No, I’m not old… or even middle aged. I have to keep him young !! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-age-40-considered-old/238423/65 "2004-04-14T04:17:27Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Once you’re over the hill, you pick up speed… I’m on the luge to hell! > > I’m 57. My husband turned 40 five days ago. > > No, I’m not old… or even middle aged. I have to keep him young !! 😃 So when do you sleep so you can keep him up at night? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-age-40-considered-old/238423/66 "2004-04-14T06:16:05Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > So when do you sleep so you can keep him up at night? > 😃 He’s a firefighter. I sleep the nights he’s working. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-age-40-considered-old/238423.md?page=3)