Why do some people within a given class (in high school or college)
appear older than others?

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Clarification of Question by nainad-ga on 05 Oct 2006 13:14 PDT

im more itneresting in the psychology of it. Im wondering if it has to
do with MATURITY or even INTELLIGENCE

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Clarification of Question by nainad-ga on 05 Oct 2006 13:15 PDT

or even APPEAL to the opposite sex... maybe even "emotional iq?"

I've been told that I look younger than I am. I attribute this to
genetics. My mother is nearly 80 years old, and she could pass for 55.

When I was in high school, I was sometimes mistaken for an elementary
school child. This peeved me immensely. Now that I'm pushing 60, it's
kind of nice to look youngish. Thanks for the genes, Mom.

There are many reasons for that, from the almost impossible to affect
like the ability of tolomeres to reproduce that vary from person to
person, to the things you can affect by the food choices you make like
the caloric intake and method. For instance a low calorie diet will
extend your life span
  
"From worms to mice, virtually every kind of animal fed a reduced
calorie diet has been found to live longer - up to 40 per cent longer
in some cases. But it has yet to be shown that such a diet extends
human life."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3668-dayon-dayoff-diet-boosts-health.html

while antioxidant rich foods will prevent cell degradation and even
restore some of the damage already done, that's why two brothers same
age one a vegetarian the other with a meat rich diet the vegetarian
will always look considerably younger.

"antioxidant-rich foods like strawberries, spinach and blueberries.
Antioxidants reverse some memory loss linked to old age, probably by
mopping up free radicals in the brain."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg16322042.700-young-again.html

There are many other reasons, sun exposure, ambient humidity (lots and
lots of humidity will hydrate the skin and make you look younger), of
course your genes as Pink mentioned, some families simply look younger
than they are etc.


"ASK anyone - except, perhaps, the proud parents - and they'll tell
you a baby's debut into the world is hardly a pretty sight. Coated in
all sorts of body fluids and a white, cheesy paste called vernix, a
baby's momentous first seconds in the world are, well, a little yucky.

But Marty Visscher, executive director of the Skin Sciences Institute
of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, reckons
babies come into the world coated in liquid gold. The vernix that
midwives wipe off before they hand the new mother her rosy-skinned
bundle of joy is probably the best skin cream the baby will ever have.
It has not only protected his or her skin from constant contact with
water; it has kept it hydrated, its pH balanced, and may even have
primed it against infection and damage in preparation for birth.

"If you take some and rub it in your skin, the feel of it is very much
like skin. It doesn't have the sticky, greasy feel of moisturisers,"
says Visscher, who has done the test herself. Now she and her
colleagues are hoping to copy nature's design and develop a synthetic
version, which they reckon could help premature babies whose skin has
not fully formed. Vernix might also yield the winning formula for new
diaper rash creams and medicated lotions for people with skin problems
such as eczema and psoriasis. Perhaps even the ultimate
moisturiser....."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18124305.400;jsessionid=IHJOKIBDJGDC

One odd study I read many years ago reported that schizophrenics tend
to look much younger than they actually are. I don't think the study
was peer reviewed. I mean, have you ever looked at the average
homeless person?

well, i guess it is down to genes and how that person takes care of
her skin. i am 30 yrs old now but some ppl who just gotten to know me
thought i am a few yrs younger than my actual age. i guess i am
blessed with generally good skin ( for someone who is too lazy to use
skincare when i have tons at home, lying around waiting to be expired
).

Appearance has more to do with your averyday mental state. It is
related with the genes too, as a well played song depends on the state
of the guitar, but the singer is more important.
There is why, all the playful and cheerful people I have met appear younger.

Appearance has to do with radiance. How can u radiate if u are in a
bad mood? Energy flows when one is calm and peaceful. Energy gets
chaotic when one is upset, angry or another form of negative feelings.

Stay one year upset or angry and watch the results. And the results
are not only about appearance, but with the health either.

As a resumee, the state of spirit is triggering the appearance and the
health in a human being, where the phisical body is just an instrument
(well taken care or not).

Genetic makeup has more to do with how old someone looks than anything
else.  There are of course, hundreds (if not thousands) of other
factors that do come into play.  Some of the more important lifestyle
factors that contribute to how old someone looks are diet and
sun-exposure.  Sun-exposure is more of a lengthy process, so if you
are including only high-school and college kids, diet is much more
important.

The worse the nutrition for a person, the faster the human body will
be prepared to reproduce, thus the older someone will look. 
Malnutritioned children will reach puberty earlier, and their bodies
will show the physical evidence of it.

>> Im wondering if it has to do with MATURITY or even INTELLIGENCE

When I was in high school, I looked like an elementary school kid. I
don't think a lack of maturity or intelligence was to blame. I looked
younger than my actual age. Both my parents looked younger than their
actual age. The logical conclusion is that I inherited the tendency to
look youngish from my parents.

I think that what you do in life helps to determine the way you look.
I've been out of high school for 20 yrs now and alot of the females
that I graduated with look about 10 years older than me. But alot of
them are either drinkers or do drugs while I quit all of that when I
found out that I was pregnant with my first baby. Drinking and doing
drugs take alot out of your system.