Remember back to your teens and twenties...do you remember what you thought about your parents, your grandparents and aging in general? It's come full circle now, as we are the "older" ones that we once thought of as "old." But now that we've had some experience in aging (some boomers more than others), we probably have completely different perceptions of what "old" means and what "aging" is all about. Curious about what today's younger generation thinks about aging? And are their thoughts accurate?

A Place for Mom, North America's largest senior living referral service, was curious too, so they surveyed 2,000 millennials between the ages of 16 and 34. Respondents read 10 statements and were asked whether those statements were true or false. Their beliefs were then compared against existing studies to determine if the beliefs were misconceptions or were true based on scientific evidence. 

Some of the misconceptions?

• Almost three quarters (72%) of millennials believe older people’s driving skills are worse than their own — in spite of research that proves otherwise
• More than half (54%) of young people think people like their bodies less as they age, but studies suggest our opinion of our appearance peaks in our 70s and 80s
• Some 55% of millennials think people lose touch with modern technology as they get older, but existing research shows a majority (67%) of senior Americans use the internet and over half (51%) have broadband at home

And some things respondents got right?

• The majority of respondents believe as people age, their physical health and mobility decline, which is true. After reaching 50, we lose 12-14% of our muscular strength with every decade. Unsurprisingly, we’re 30-40% more likely to fall over after the age of 60.
• 42% of young people believe people become lonelier as they age, and that's true. By age 60 we spend more than of 6 hours a day completely unaccompanied, a number that goes up to 8 when we hit 80.
• About half (52%) of respondents believe after age 60 people's sex lives decline - it's true that as we age, we have less sex.

Respondents were also asked what age they considered someone to be "old" - the average age given was 59.

While the study revealed many concerns that young people have about aging, there some things they are looking forward to as they age:

• Having more time to spend with loved ones
• Having more time to travel
• Having more time to get into a hobby
• Caring less about what others think of you
• Spending time with grandchildren

What do you think about the respondents' beliefs? Did you think those same things when you were that age? Probably some of them at least.

And are you experiencing some of the expected "pros" of aging? We hope so, because those things all sound good.

For more details about the study, the results and the methodology, you can read the full report here.