Short answer: "Body and habits" (Q41 to Q50) mixes two different things: sleep and energy habits, and physical wear like sore knees and backs. The second group measures your body more than your mind, so it is the part of this quiz most likely to make your number older than you feel.
I'm Muhammad Husnain Zahid. When I'm short on sleep I feel noticeably older, so I wanted to look closely at this category. It is one of the three that can move your total the most. Here is how it works and where it misleads. All questions are on the full question list.
How this category is scored
Each question has four options, from the most energetic to the most careful. The first option is worth 9 to 13 points and the last 52 to 62. Picking the first option on all ten gives a category average of about 11, and the last option every time about 57. Picking at random would give about 32.
That is a wide range. Going from all first options to all last options moves your final number by about 4.6 points. Only "Friday nights" (4.8) can move it more.
Two groups of questions
Habits you choose. Bedtime (Q41), waking without an alarm (Q42), a day off with nothing to do (Q43), energy after a big meal (Q44), coffee after 6pm (Q47), travel planning (Q48) and check-ups (Q50). These describe what you do.
Wear you cannot fully choose. Your knees (Q45), someone else's bad back (Q46), and waking up sore after ordinary activity (Q49). These describe what your body does to you.
The top option in Q45, "We have a complicated, ongoing relationship," is worth 62, the highest single answer in the category. Q42 has the biggest jump: the step from "by eight, out of habit" (36) to waking before six (60) is 24 points.
Where I think it is unfair
Injuries and health conditions count as age. If you have a bad knee from an old injury, or a back problem, Q45, Q46 and Q49 will push you toward the oldest options. Choosing the oldest answer on those three questions instead of the youngest adds about 1.5 points to your total, and that has nothing to do with how you think.
Sleep depends on your life. Shift work, studying, a new baby or noisy housing can make an early bedtime impossible. Q41 scores "Early, and I'm smug about it" at 58, but a person who works nights has no honest way to choose it.
Caffeine is partly biology. In Q47, "No thanks, I'm careful about that now" is worth 37, and refusing because you would be awake till dawn is worth 56. Some people are simply more sensitive to caffeine at any age.
Check-ups depend on access. In Q50 the top option is a recurring appointment already in the calendar (52). How easily you can see a doctor depends on where you live and what it costs, not only on mindset.
How to read your category average
In this category the four options average about 11, 22, 37 and 57. An average near 22 means mostly second options, near 37 mostly third, and above 50 mostly fourth.
- High, but your outlook feels young: look at your answers to Q45, Q46 and Q49 first. If those are the oldest options, your body is carrying the number.
- Low: energetic habits, or good luck with your body. Both are fine.
- High on the habit questions too: you like early nights, calm mornings and planned travel. That is a style, and a settled style reads as older on this quiz.
A simple check: on the result page, look at Q45, Q46 and Q49 separately from the other seven. The seven are mostly your habits. The three are mostly your body.
What this does not tell you
It is not a health check and it is not medical advice. If you feel constantly tired, in pain or low, please talk to a doctor or someone you trust. The help resources page lists free, confidential support. I wrote more about feeling older than you are in Why Do I Feel Older Than My Age?
The age guide shows how the whole number is built. To see your own category averages, take the test. More categories explained: Feelings and fights, Money and chores, Screens and slang.
Sources and further reading
- How the number is built: the age guide.
- Every question and answer: the full question list.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my body make my mental age older?
Q45, Q46 and Q49 ask about knees, backs and soreness. They describe your body, and choosing the oldest answers on all three adds about 1.5 points to your total.
Which category can move my total the most?
Friday nights can move it about 4.8 points, and Body and habits about 4.6, which makes these two the largest.
I work nights. Why do the sleep questions feel unfair?
They are. Early bedtime is scored as the oldest answer, but shift work or a new baby can make it impossible to choose.
Is this a health check?
No. It is not medical advice. If you feel constantly tired or in pain, please talk to a doctor.