# Why do you look older or younger in different kinds of lighting conditions?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-look-older-or-younger-in-different-kinds-of-lighting-conditions/731791>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 19, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-look-older-or-younger-in-different-kinds-of-lighting-conditions/731791 "2015-09-19T16:32:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-look-older-or-younger-in-different-kinds-of-lighting-conditions/731791/1 "2015-09-19T16:32:27Z")

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I have had a number of people tell me that I look much younger than I am (53)-in fact not once but twice on my recent vacation sales clerks referred to me as a “young man”…

Now, when I look in a mirror, I can often believe them-but sometimes under certain lights (fluourescents?) I will indeed look my age. What, exactly, is going on to change the perception in question?