Ever catch yourself in a reflection, or see a picture of yourself when you were not posing?  Did it look like what you thought you look like?

art by Sandra Cohen

Denise Grady, science reporter for the New York Times, notes that “people make instant judgments…we often judge unconsciously…”  I had noticed an elderly woman seated across the room from me in the botany lab, but later when I was introduced to her in the student lounge, and we engaged in lively conversation, I did not recognize her as the same frumpy gray-haired person in the class.  Her animated interest in the readings disguised her – I only saw her eyes, and was surprised to find she was the same person I had dismissed earlier.

Grady reviews how the face ages – better for some, but not as good as we’d like to believe – an indicator of health and experience, both good and bad.

My favorite piece is her ending:

The mind-body mismatch can sting in other ways.  A graying baby boomer told this story about himself.  He was standing in a crowded subway car in Manhattan when a pretty young woman seated nearby, caught his eye and smiled.  He smiled back, pleased to think that maybe he still had the right stuff after all.  Then she offered him her seat.

Read the article – here