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Younger generation insecurity melts for the self-confident silvers

9th July 2013 Print

Over one fifth of all British over 55s have confided that they have never felt as confident as they do in their prime – showing that, like fine wine, we improve with age.

Citing the here and now as the time they felt at their best, 45% of over 55s stated that it was because they were now happy with their general appearance - contrasting to the mere third of respondents who said their mid twenties was when they felt happy with how they looked. And when offered a hypothetical wand to change something about their person, a fifth of the 55+ age bracket cited that they wouldn’t change a thing, meaning that for those younger, the best is yet to come.

The survey, by Transform Cosmetic Surgery, found that finally feeling comfortable in their own skin (38.5%) and believing they were in the best shape (37.8%) featured high on the list of reasons why the over 55s felt good about themselves. With the likes of Twiggy, Joanna Lumley and Pierce Brosnan all looking good in their later years, it seems that this age bracket is brimming with confidence and contentment.

The over 55s ‘glow’ is also attributed to having a great work/life balance (35.8%) and being happy in their job role (40%).

However, there were situations in which the 55+ age group felt less confident such as during job interviews, where over a third of adults were left feeling nervous and doubting their ability, - showing that the worry of being overlooked in favour of the younger age groups creeps in. Dealing with utility companies (15.1%) and being on public transport (9.2%) also featured on the list. For the singletons, dating came out tops with 21.5% feeling petrified of putting themselves out there to meet a new partner.

The research was undertaken as part of Transform’s Feel Good Campaign – a series of initiatives with the aim of empowering the nation to celebrate their own lives. As part of this, Transform is championing the day that people feel at their best and launching National Feel Good Day as a means for people to spread positive feelings and ultimately feel good. Results have shown this day to be Friday, where one sixth of Brits get that ‘Friday Feeling’ at the end of a long working week.

Launching on Friday 19th July across the UK, National Feel Good Day is where the entire nation is being called upon to dedicate time to paying compliments to friends, family and strangers alike and to celebrate feeling good. The men and women of Britain are encouraged to give out verbal compliments, post words of praise on to friend’s Facebook walls or send sincere compliments via twitter using the hastags #feelgoodday and #feelgood - all in aid of producing a country of cheerful and complimentary Britons.

Steven Taylor, Marketing Director at Transform Cosmetic Surgery commented on the findings, and the campaign as a whole: “The research commissioned has shed real light on how the over 55s are feeling in their every day lives and what affects their confidence on a daily basis. Although there are still some situations in which confidence is low, it’s refreshing to hear that confidence levels are on the up for the majority of over 55s as a whole.

“Our whole campaign is centred around empowering the nation to feel good about themselves, and celebrate their own achievements, however small. We want to highlight these findings and continue to produce a nation of confident and fearless Britons. We are therefore dedicating a whole day to giving and receiving compliments and we hope everyone gets involved and becomes part of our Feel Good Campaign.”