This weird phenomenon…

[PuddleMud]

Ok, will try my best to explain….

People don’t really age as of when you first met them… So they will always seem the same age in your eyes, they may look older but it’s still them, just an older more weathered version. If you were to meet a random person of the same age you’d think they seemed older… Does anyone else get this?

Yes! It's only when you don't see a person for a while that you notice that they have aged.

I noticed this with my parents after all that covid stuff where you couldn't see each other

Yep totally! I know what you mean.

I have a friend I met when we were young adults. When we meet up nowadays (we are almost 50!!) she looks the same but different, older of course, but when I meet others who are 50 I think they are sooo old looking . But when people meet me or her they must see us as really old.

Funny you should say this. I was recently thinking how in a group of my schoolfriends we all look exactly the same as we did at school. Not one of us has changed a bit. I didn’t see them for a period of 10 years when I moved away but when I saw them again they said the same about me. It can’t be possible that we all look the same at aged 15 and now aged 40 but I can’t see any changes. The men have changed though!

I wonder if it’s an evolutionary thing to keep long term partners attracted to each other? Or perhaps when you know someone you perceive them (visually) differently?

It's when you look at pictures of when you were all at school together that you know that you have definitely changed .

My work does this awful thing for long stayers retiring of a photo 20 or 30 years ago and then one now as a goodbye type tribute. It’s truly depressing !
and if I stay on there until retirement I will say under no circumstances are they to do this to me!