Does subjective feeling young in 60’s remain attention function good ten years after? Evidence from the Yakumo Study

• Published in: Journal of Human Environmental Studies Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 133 - 138
• Main Authors: Hatta, Takeshi, Hatta, Taketoshi, Kato, Kimiko, Kimura, Takahiko, Fujiwara, Kazumi, Hatta, Junko, Iwahara, Akihiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Osaka Society for Human Environmental Studies 2023; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Age; Attention; Cognitive ability; Executive function; Longitudinal studies
• ISSN: 1348-5253; 1883-7611
• DOI: 10.4189/shes.21.133

The relationship between subjective age, which was asked in the question “How old do you feel, aside from your chronological age?,” and cognitive function (attention and executive function) were investigated. We examined changes in the cognitive function of the same person measured in their 60s after 10 years based on the longitudinal study. Participants were assigned to “Feel younger” group whose subjective age is younger, “Feel older” group judged to be older than chronological age, and intermediate “Moderate” group. Attention function was evaluated by the D-CAT and the executive function was evaluated by the Stroop effect size. As the result, the “Feel younger” group was superior to the “Feel older” and “Moderate” groups in terms of D-CAT performance, and this group showed the same level of performance even after 10 years. There was no significant difference in the Stroop effect size among the three groups. These results suggest the possibility that an awareness of subjectively young in 60s affects the subsequent 10 years after on the attention function.