A new book challenges the idea that aging is a steady, predictable process, introducing a "flicker stage" where some aspects of aging may briefly reverse.
Authors Stuart Kaplan and Marcus Riley, in "Your Aging Advantage," argue that functional age isn’t fixed. They describe the "flicker stage" as one of seven stages of aging, where people shift between levels of youth and vitality based on lifestyle and mindset.
"Periods of feeling significantly younger, followed by times of feeling one's age, may reflect what the authors describe as the 'flicker stage,'" Riley said. He explained that healthier aging involves "flickering back" to a younger state after stress or setbacks.
The secret, according to the authors, is learning to identify personal "flicker triggers"-physical, psychological, social, or environmental shifts like exercise or social connection that help reset one’s pace.
Kaplan compared this to a "feels-like" temperature. "In the summertime, the weatherperson might say it's 85 degrees outside, but with the humidity, it feels like 95 … The feels-like age is the lived age," he said.
Instead of "aging in place," the authors advocate for "aging on pace," focusing on personal priorities like work or hobbies rather than a fixed retirement age.
Riley argued that the focus on age 65 as a point of decline is a social construct from the 1935 Social Security Act, not a biological marker.
The flicker effect works best when aging is no longer viewed as a "downhill" perspective. Even after a health setback, maintaining a positive, active approach can help move someone back toward an earlier stage.
"Aging or growing older is not a problem to fix … it's an opportunity to be seized," Riley said.