50 really is the new 40 for Britons throwing off their inhibitions

LONDON - A new UK study suggests that 40 per cent of today’s over-50s feel at least a decade younger than their actual age.

And they are enjoying a better lifestyle too, giving themselves more time to do the things they like such as hobbies or seeing friends, reports the Daily Mail.

In the study of more than 10,000 people, a staggering 12 per cent of the over-50s claimed to be so full of life they feel more than 20 years younger than their true age.

Following in the footsteps of vibrant celebrities such as Felicity Kendal, Sharon Stone and Helen Mirren, women feel most youthful.

Revitalised by new hobbies and healthier lifestyles, 22 per cent of today’s women who have passed their half century say they feel ten to 15 years younger. A mere seven per cent say they feel older than they actually are.

In comparison, men, perhaps slower to embrace lifestyle changes and maybe still plagued by the traditional ‘midlife crisis’, don’t feel quite as young as their wives.

But the lives of celebrities such as Gary Lineker, who turns 50 this month, 70-year-old Cliff Richard and 64-year-old Sylvester Stallone all belie their years.

Of men over 50, 17 per cent say they feel ten to 15 years younger, the same amount feel their actual age and a significant three in ten feel between five and ten years younger. Only one in ten confess to feeling older. (ANI)