Aging is one of the most pressing issues plaguing modern society, with innumerable scientists spending so much time to solve. Whether it be experiments involving fruit paste or lobster DNA, or even jellyfish goo, people will try anything to look younger!
Then again, some people have all the luck. Some people don’t have to try at all and still look just as young as they did twenty years ago. When you look in a mirror, it can be confusing to see just how young you look!
Why Do I Look So Young?
1. You Have Good Genetics
The first and foremost aspect of how young you look is your genetics. If your mom and dad both looked seventy-five when they were thirty, the odds are that you are not going to age well!
However, if your parents looked in their thirties while also being old enough to be grandparents, you’ve got a good shot at aging gracefully.
Your genetics don’t just dictate your youthfulness. Experts estimate that your genes dictate as much as 25% of your longevity.
This statistic means that your genes dictate not only how young you look, but how long you live.
If you come from a long-lived family who also all look extremely young, you may have hit the genetic jackpot!
2. Little To No Sun Damage
If you live in a sunny place like California, Texas, Mexico, or Nevada, you’ve likely seen many of your neighbors looking tanned, rugged, and old. It may be surprising to learn that they’re in their thirties!
Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to UV rays can start a process called ‘photoaging,’ where light from the sun ages your body.
This is particularly dangerous in sunny areas without much coverage- while rainy places or jungles like Washington state or Costa Rica can easily find refuge from the aging rays of the sun, sunny flatlands are not as lucky.
If you live in a sunny area or work a job that requires you to spend extended hours in the sun, hats and sunscreen can quickly become your best friends.
The American Cancer Society recommends an SPF of 30 or higher when selecting sunscreen, and wide-brimmed hats are always a benefit for outdoor work.
There’s a reason yard workers tend to wear massive hats and long-sleeved shirts- they spend long hours in the sun, which can both age you and cause cancer.
While a bit of sun is healthy- vitamin D is vital to all humans!- too much can easily cause irreparable damage to your skin.
When it comes to sun damage, aging can be the least of your worries!
3. A Stress-Free Life
The second-biggest reason you look young could be that you have a stress-free life.
One of the biggest keys to youthfulness is happiness, and when you can operate day-to-day without stressors, you’ve achieved this!
Stress ages your body by an incredible amount, from graying your hair to wrinkling your face. While good genetics can be a great start, your genes can mean nothing if you are stressed out!
4. A Good Diet
Your body is a machine, and what it runs on is just as important as anything.
If you’re eating a good diet of fruits and vegetables, cutting back on red meat, and drinking plenty of water, you’re taking great care of yourself!
Your body will reflect what you put into it, and if you fill yourself with good things, your body will show that! Maintaining a constant, healthy diet is a great key to making yourself look younger.
If you’ve been eating well your entire life, your skin will seem to glow, making you look far younger.
5. A Good Skin Care Routine
Taking care of your skin goes beyond what you eat. Sometimes it’s just as external as it is internal!
If you have a quality skincare routine with non-damaging chemicals, it can make your skin look far better. When used in combination with a healthy diet, you will look extremely young!
6. Lots Of Exercising
Burning off what you eat can be just as important as eating in the first place!
While not everybody needs to be a bodybuilder to age well, you can certainly notice that athletes who maintain their shape will age better.
If you go on daily walks or hit the gym with regularity, especially with weight-based exercises, that may be the reason you look so young!
7. Face Shape
From a structural standpoint, people with round faces will look younger. Think about a baby or a child- they tend to have very round faces due to their baby fat!
If somebody has a round face, people around them will associate the shape of their face with youthfulness. A round face can take years, if not decades, off your appearance.
This is such a well-known phenomenon that it has a name- people call it ‘babyface!’
One downside to this is that baby-faced people may be assumed to have other childlike qualities, especially in terms of personality. Unfortunately, that’s the price to pay for youthfulness!
8. No Drugs Or Alcohol
Drugs and alcohol are major stressors on the body and can make you look far older than you should.
While doctors may say a glass of wine is good for heart health, drinking more than that can do more harm than good.
If you’ve led a drug and alcohol-free life, it could be why you look so young!
9. Love Of Life
Ultimately, many will agree that a love of life will get you far in any field, and this includes aging! People who are happy and specifically love being alive will age better.
Much like living a stress-free life, people who outright love their lives will be happier people. The odds are they will be happier than people who are just stress-free!
While it is possible to be stressed and still love your life, it is best used in combination. Work to minimize your stressors and gain a zest for life, and your aging will slow drastically!
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why you are so funny, why you have bad handwriting, and why you get infatuated so easily.
In Conclusion
If you believe that you look young for your age, the odds are that you are blessed with good genes! Congratulations- many people wished they looked as good as you do at your age!
Armed with this knowledge, you can even go further and keep yourself looking as youthful and vibrant as possible! Thankfully, not everything is based on genes- if one of your friends asks you to share your secrets, you have some information to tell them!