Whether it’s regularly exercising or playing brain games, many of us try to do our bit to feel younger.
But when it comes to your reflexes, just how ‘young’ are you?
A fiendishly difficult reaction time test has been developed, which claims to reveal exactly how old your reactions are.
During the test, you’ll be tasked with clicking or pressing any key when you see a Stop sign appear.
The test will then guess your age – and tell you how your reaction times stack up against your peers.
A fiendishly difficult reaction time test has been developed, which claims to reveal exactly how old your reactions are
The reaction test can be played here, and is the brainchild of Just Park.
It features an animation of a car’s dashboard, as if you’re behind the wheel.
To try it, simply hit the green ‘Start’ button, and the road will start changing before your eyes as you ‘drive’.
At some point, a red, hexagonal sign with a white hand on it will appear.
As soon as you see it, click or press any key on your keyboard.
Just Park will then reveal how long it took you to react to the Stop sign – and will guess your age based on this number.
MailOnline’s Shivali Best took the test and reacted to the Stop sign within 304 milliseconds, giving her the reactions of a 19-year-old.
Not bad at all for a 32-year-old!
Scrolling down, you’ll then be given a breakdown of how Just Park worked out your reaction age.
‘We surveyed 2,000 people aged 18 and above and asked them to play the game,’ Just Park explained.
Simply hit the green ‘Start’ button, and the road will start changing before your eyes as you ‘drive’. At some point, a red, hexagonal sign with a white hand on it will appear. As soon as you see it, click or press any key on your keyboard
MailOnline’s Shivali Best took the test and reacted to the Stop sign within 304 milliseconds, giving her the reactions of a 19-year-old. Not bad at all for a 32-year-old!
‘We then plotted their reaction time against their age.
‘Your predicted age is the age that most closely matches the age of people with your reaction time.’
On average, Just Park found that 18-year-olds react to the Stop sign within 296 milliseconds.
The average 30-year-old reacts in 387 milliseconds, while the average 50-year-old reacts in 574 milliseconds.
Meanwhile, the average 90-year-old will take 1,085 milliseconds to respond to the Stop sign.
Previous studies have shown that reaction times do slow with age, thanks to physical changes in nerve fibers.
On average, Just Park found that 18-year-olds react to the Stop sign within 296 milliseconds. The average 30-year-old reacts in 387 milliseconds, while the average 50-year-old reacts in 574 milliseconds. Meanwhile, the average 90-year-old will take 1,085 milliseconds to respond to the Stop sign
The effect of age on reaction time varies greatly from person to person, and studies have shown that you can actually slow down – and even reverse – the effects of ageing, by staying physically active (stock image)
‘Physical changes in nerve fibers slow the speed of conduction as one ages, although this normal change does not usually cause any problems,’ the University of Rochester Medical Center explains.
‘And the parts of the brain involved in motor control lose cells over time.’
However, the effect of age on reaction time varies greatly from person to person, and studies have shown that you can actually slow down – and even reverse – the effects of ageing, by staying physically active.
‘Remember the saying: If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it,’ the University of Rochester Medical Center added.
