It seems like it would be true.
Edit - Yep. Per this study:
"Perceived age, which is widely used by clinicians as a general indication of a patient's health, is a robust biomarker of ageing that predicts survival among those aged over 70."
“If a patient looks older than their years then perhaps they should be more concerned," he said.
Good to know I’ll die by the time in 30.
Being terminally inside has actually just been me extending my lifespan :thonk-cri:
You can always dye hair, regrowing it is a lot more difficult.
I didn't think I look that much older than I am, but then I grew a beard and now people assume I'm around 25 when I am nowhere near
Funnily enough I'm kinda already doing all those things by accident. I have naturally broad shoulders and a decent bit of both fat and muscle, I have a pretty bushy beard and I wear old man glasses. I'm not even trying to look older, I'm just doing things at random
Counterpoint: I look like Gollum, but Gollum lived to be like 600 or some shit
everyone thinks i look 5-8 years younger than i am, so that's nice
The body breakdown that we usually attribute to aging is not caused by time passing itself, it is caused by a whole host of other factors that usually get worse over time. If you are constantly stressed, don't exercise, are eating like shit and are regularly smoking/drinking your body will breakdown at a much faster rate.
Some people are running marathons in their 70s while others start experiencing chronic aches/pain in their 30s and say "oh I guess this is what happens when you get older, nothing I can do about it".
I've met 90 year olds who I would have sworn were in their 60s, and I've met 60 year olds who look like they're 90.
Without actually reading the study (what am I, a nerd?), a serious confounding variable could be prior drug use or some chronic diseases. Both can make you seem visibly aged due to messing with the makeup of your face, basically degrading fats and connective tissue. But the real health issue would be the drug use or disease, not appearance.
The telomere stuff would also align with this, as many hard drugs will shorten them.
This has actually made me wonder about something else, and I'm asking this earnestly. Does estrogen increase your lifespan considering women tend to live longer then men? I know it's only tangibly related but I've always wondered this.
