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submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by antonim@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

I'm still in my 20s, but as of a few years ago I started forgetting what's my exact age. I always have to stop and recalculate it each time someone asks me. I get asked fairly infrequently, but when I do it's a bit weird/embarrassing that I have to say "wait, let me calculate". (I know when I was born, of course.)

It seems as if there's no good reason I'd remember it, since it changes all the time and it is rarely mentioned in practice. But others, including people much older than myself, know their own age immediately.

I'm also terrible at remembering people's names, I don't know if that could be related?

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[-] FelixMortane@lemmy.ca 5 points 7 months ago

My guess is it depends on how important it is to you. I have forgotten mine basically every time I am ever asked.

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

Yup, that's not too weird.

[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 5 points 7 months ago

After 40 it no longer really matters. Old people or people your age don't like talking about our age because it reminds us that we're at the back end of life. And young people just automatically look at us like we're old .... because we are!

Whenever someone asks me now, I just tell them I don't know. And if they insist, I give them a number anywhere from 45 to 49. And once I reach 50, I'll just tell people I'm old and not to bother me about it.

[-] Pistcow@lemm.ee 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Just wait until the person that reminds you how old you are is no longer there. My mom used to remind me, so I'm somewhere between 30 and 50

[-] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I knew my exact age at all times between 4 and 18. Or maybe even 19. Afterwards I always needed to calculate. And it became less and less important.

[-] DeltaTangoLima@reddrefuge.com 4 points 7 months ago

Not at all unusual. The older you get, the less relevant the number is.

[-] MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

at some point it becomes easier to remember birth year/month and do the math than remember an age

[-] Evil_incarnate@lemm.ee 3 points 7 months ago

I just ask google how old I am. Maths is hard.

[-] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 4 points 7 months ago

Don't ask me my age. I can give youy birthdate, I can tell you in intricate detail how the bug bang -by out current knowledge- happened, I can speak 3 languages fluently, but don't ever ask me my age!

[-] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 4 points 7 months ago

I don’t forget, but in my twenties I starts doing this thing where as soon as the calendar turned over I’d start adding the next year even though my birthday isn’t until March.

[-] nutsack@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

i forget all kinds of things i don't give a shit about

[-] aeki@slrpnk.net 4 points 7 months ago

It's probably normal to forget. I am probably the odd one in that I'm always very aware of my age and I'm almost 40. I'm also acutely aware of the ages of people around me, and (very mildly) uncomfortable if I don't know someone's age.

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[-] ladicius@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

As an older guy: Yes. I often have to calculate my age. Over time it becomes an arbitrary number.

[-] ctkatz@lemmy.ml 3 points 7 months ago

yes because math. next week it won't be a problem because it will be a milestone multiple of 10 age.

[-] Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works 2 points 7 months ago

Happy almost x-tieth birthday!

[-] sajran@lemmy.ml 3 points 7 months ago

I'm exactly the same! Nice to know I'm not the only one.

In all seriousness, once you're of age the exact number rarely matters and isn't often used so I'm more surprised people actually remember it.

[-] GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

In your younger years, you have a lot more to look forward to that's tied to your age: first decade,, teen years, driving, getting a job, voting, making your own decisions, second decade, and drinking age. After that, the only things that are still age locked are at 25 when you can rent a car and your insurance goes down, the other decades, and legal age requirements for reaching certain political offices. There just isn't much else to look forward to at a specific age, so it's not as important for your brain to remember.

Misremembering people's names is not related to the age. A chunk of the population is really great at remembering names and another chunk remembers faces better. I'm more of a face person, I will most likely recognize you, but might not remember your name.

[-] half_built_pyramids@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Do you forget other stuff? Would you prefer to offload the mental effort of remembering and just calculate it when it comes up? Maybe look into ADHD.

[-] antonim@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 7 months ago

I am somewhat forgettable in general, I guess. Or just disorganised. But I don't think remembering such a thing is any sort of mental effort, surely people memorise it spontaneously?

[-] Lmaydev@programming.dev 5 points 7 months ago

This is a wild comment. It's incredibly common and in no way implies neuro divergency.

[-] AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 1 points 7 months ago

I recite my birthday a lot because of all the times I go to an anticoagulation clinic, but I never can remember my age and have to stop and count for a moment. It makes me feel kinda dumb, but it's just something I don't think about too often.

[-] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 7 months ago

Ima go with no. It's not normal. At least not in your 20's. I'm over 40 and still remember my age. It definitely becomes less important, but I haven't ever "forgot".

[-] QualifiedKitten@kbin.social 1 points 7 months ago

I think I was about 23 when I started to have to stop and calculate my age whenever it came up.

[-] Lath@kbin.social 1 points 7 months ago

Age, height, weight. Forget them all the time because they're not much use day to day

[-] kirbowo808@kbin.social 1 points 7 months ago

I forget my own age sometimes and I’ve only just started my own life journey. I think it’s completely normal tbh so I wouldn’t worry too much about it!

[-] Jaytreeman@kbin.social 1 points 7 months ago

Every year after 40, I've been surprised at some point that I'm not 40 anymore

Not unusual at all.

[-] TruthAintEasy@kbin.social 1 points 7 months ago

Its normal, just dont forget your spouse birthday

[-] 520@kbin.social 1 points 7 months ago

Soon after a birthday I sometimes forget it has passed and say my old age

[-] Bipta@kbin.social 1 points 7 months ago

It's like writing the wrong date when a new year has begun.

Totally normal. 21 was your last milestone, 22 was your first year of “I’m older than 21.” Everything after that will be fuzzy except for the decade milestones and maybe the half decade ones.

[-] antonim@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 7 months ago

21 was your last milestone,

I'm not American, so not even that, actually. I guess 20 was sort of a milestone, but only symbolically, entering my third decade of life...

[-] Poggervania@kbin.social 1 points 7 months ago

I would say I started having to think about my age after I was 25 or so, so I would say that’s normal. The only ones I don’t think about are the decade ones since those are easy enough to calculate lol

[-] masquenox@lemmy.world 0 points 7 months ago

At one point or the other you have to start actively forgetting it - which, as it turns out, I'm quite good at. Unfortunately, a whole bunch of people show up once a year to undo all my effort.

Growing old sucks.

[-] GluWu@lemm.ee 0 points 7 months ago

After 21, the only age milestones are reminders of how much closer to inevitable death you are. It's good to forget.

[-] partyparrot@lemmy.blahaj.zone -1 points 7 months ago

In this thread, people publically linking their age to their account.

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this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2024
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