CANBERRA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Feeling older than your age, experiencing loneliness, or having negative perceptions about aging could be early signs of frailty, even in your 40s, according to research from Australia's Flinders University.

The study highlights that frailty isn't just a condition of old age, but can begin much earlier with subtle psychological and social cues, a press release from the Adelaide-based university said on Thursday.

"Many people assume frailty is something that happens when we get much older," but the findings suggest psychological and behavioral warning signs can appear decades earlier, said the study's lead author Tom Brennan from Flinders University's Caring Futures Institute.

Frailty is a recognized medical condition marked by reduced strength, energy, and resilience, often preceded by a reversible stage known as pre-frailty, said the study published in BMC Public Health, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal.

In a survey of 321 Australian adults aged 40 and over, 60 percent were classified as pre-frail. These individuals were far more likely to feel older than their age, report loneliness, and hold negative attitudes about ageing, the study shows.

"Loneliness was one of the strongest predictors of pre-frailty in our sample, highlighting that social isolation is a critical factor that can affect overall resilience, even in relatively healthy and mobile population," Brennan said, adding that believing that ageing equals decline can actually contribute to poorer physical and mental health.

The researchers recommend early screening for psychosocial risk factors and encourage social connection and a more positive outlook on ageing, so as to potentially reduce healthcare costs and improve quality of life as the population ages.

According to an 18-month inquiry released by the New South Wales government on Friday, the health system in the Australian state is at risk of being overwhelmed by an ageing population. ■