You’re as old as you feel–and here’s why that’s really important.

New research that was published December 15, 2014 in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal indicates that individuals who felt younger than their real age live longer.

“Self-perceived age reflects appraisals of health, physical limitations, and well-being in later life,” write the authors of the study, from University College London in the UK. “Older people typically feel younger than their chronological age, and it is thought that those who feel younger than their actual age have reduced mortality.”

Read the full story: Older people who feel younger than their actual age live longer

The study, conducted by researchers at the University College London in the UK, took place over more than 8 years and included 6,500 people.

The researchers analyzed data from a study in England on aging that included information on deaths during a follow-up period that ended in February 2013; deaths totaled 1,030. About 14 percent of the young-feeling adults died during the follow-up, versus 19 percent of those who felt their actual age and 25 percent of those who felt older.

Feeling older was a predictor of death even when the researchers accounted for things that could affect death rates, including illnesses, wealth, education, smoking, alcohol intake and physical activity. Older-feeling adults were about 40 percent more likely to die than younger-feeling adults.

Read the full story: Real Vs Perceived Age: A Matter of Life and Death