Main points

• Physical brain features related to ageing such as grey matter volume have been identified.
• Participants were asked questions about how old they felt. Their cognitive abilities and general health were also assessed.

• Generally people who said that they felt younger than they actally were faired better on all indicators.

"We found that people who feel younger have the structural characteristics of a younger brain," said Dr Jeanyung Chey ... "Importantly, this difference remains robust even when other possible factors, including personality, subjective health, depressive symptoms, or cognitive functions, are accounted for."

"If somebody feels older than their age, it could be sign for them to evaluate their lifestyle, habits and activities that could contribute to brain aging and take measures to better care for their brain health," said Chey.

Source: frontiersin.org