Feeling lonely or older than your age at 40? According to a study, these negative perceptions about ageing could be early signs of frailty, even in your 40s.Usually associated with older age, frailty is a recognised medical condition, marked by reduced strength, energy, and ability to recover from illness.
Pre-frailty is the reversible transition stage that comes before; however, experts say it’s ill-defined and requires more understanding.
The research, published in the journal BMC Public Health, showed that it can begin much earlier with subtle psychological and social cues.
“Many people assume frailty is something that happens when we get much older,” said lead author Tom Brennan from Flinders University’s Caring Futures Institute in Australia.
But our research shows the psychological and behavioural warning signs can emerge decades earlier, in people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. For example, feeling older than you are, might sound like a throwaway comment, but it turns out it can be a sign that something’s not quite right,” he added.
For the study, the researchers analysed data from 321 Australian adults aged 40 and over; 60 per cent of participants were classified as pre-frail, 35 per cent as non-frail, and 5 per cent as frail.
The analysis found that both pre-frail and frail individuals were more likely to report loneliness and negative attitudes toward aging, compared to non-frail participants.
“Loneliness was one of the strongest predictors of pre-frailty in our sample, highlighting that social isolation is a critical factor that can affect overall resilience, even in a relatively healthy and mobile population,” Brennan said.
Another key finding was that pre-frail individuals commonly reported feeling older than their chronological age, even when physical health markers were within expected ranges.
“Feeling older than you are, can be a meaningful psychological signal,” said Brennan. “We need to emphasise the importance of fostering positive attitudes towards aging as this can have a huge impact on how people adjust to their later stages of life.”
Brennan said the study highlights an important intervention point that could help to prevent the progression of frailty later in life.