Ex-Landsberger Voelpel: How old we are, we can decide for ourselves

Sven Voelpel spent his youth in Landsberg and graduated from high school there. The professor of business administration has written a book about age. His findings. By Thomas Wunder Your new book "Decide for Yourself How Old You Are" was recently presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair. What is it about? The book is about exploring what age actually means. I want to turn our image of aging upside down and break the prejudices about age: the dream of a world where age is no longer automatically associated with frailty and loneliness. I have taken the first step and compiled what research knows about staying young. When does one feel old? Most likely, everyone knows the days when they feel old or like they could conquer the world. It makes a difference whether one helped friends move the day before or went for a long walk. The question is, how does one deal with their own sense of age and how satisfied are they with life in general? How can we influence whether we are old or just getting older? Mind, emotions, and body are more flexible than we previously assumed. Those who rest, rust – this saying has been proven through countless studies. Interestingly, different mental abilities are trained depending on the sport: Tai Chi enhances precision in articulation, Nordic Walking improves reaction time. Anyone who wants to lead a fulfilling life beyond the age of 60 should proactively shape two or three additional decades of life early on. Thinking about being 80 at the age of 40 means finding the key points that bring joy. Everyone is the blacksmith of their own age.

Do you feel old?

In my heart, due to my joy of learning, I sometimes still feel like the 17-year-old student in Landsberg. But when I think about all the experiences, discoveries, and explorations I have had in my profession, I feel much older than 43. This mix feels pretty good. Physically, I stay fit with short, high-intensity training, healthy eating, and spending time with my two boys aged two and four. How do you notice that you are getting older? Research shows that intelligent people stay awake longer. I work almost every night until 3 a.m. This is due to my enormous dedication to the cause. When the children come in the morning after a short sleep, I don't feel as young anymore. Lack of sleep is not good for staying young for long, but so far, my enthusiasm and very healthy diet are working well. What fascinates you about the topic of age? It is a very broad topic that concerns everyone personally. At the same time, it also concerns leaders who are responsible for employees, organizations, and society as a whole. Professionally, I have founded a business network that deals with the fact that workforces are aging and how to handle it well. Your exhibition "Ey Alter" was recently opened at the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart. What is it about? In the demography network and our research group, we have found that almost everything related to age is linked to the individual's attitude. The exhibition therefore poses a wide range of questions about social, biological, and experiential age, conducts tests on memory, hearing, jumping power, hand strength measurement, and coordination exercises. At the end, each person receives an evaluation of their "true" age based on their results. What parallels exist between the exhibition and the book? Everyone who has gone through the exhibition or read the book should feel younger, live longer, and become aware of the positive aspects of aging. The book provides many examples of young elderly individuals to put age into perspective. What do you think will be the biggest change in old age in the future? Perhaps less than we think. Compared to three or four generations before us, we have been given an additional 20 years of life, not least due to medical advancements. Now we need to consider how to make use of this time. In my book, I outline the daily routine of a 105-year-old professor in the 22nd century with the thesis "Age Abolished" and the vision "Everyone works as long as they can and want to." The division of life into segments, as was customary in the past with 20 to 30 years for education, 35 to 40 years for work, and 20 years or more for retirement, has given way to a more flexible life planning. What opportunities and risks do you see in an aging society? In old age, our hard drive is quite full, which can be an advantage. One of our studies confirms that employees, especially in crisis situations, tend to trust an older leader more than a younger one. While factual memory decreases with age, we are also experiencing the unstoppable trend of digitalization alongside demographic change. Computers and user-friendly software can take on concentration tasks, manage knowledge in databases, and send reminders.