An “old soul” is someone who has incarnated many, many lifetimes before this one. A “new soul” has much fewer past lives, and in some rare cases, this is their very first life. Knowing if your soul is old or young leads to more self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-understanding. It also helps to know if the people you meet are older or younger souls.
First off, you should understand that when it comes to old vs. new soul, neither is “better” than the other — they both have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s also important to state that neither is more “woke” or “conscious” than the other — generally, old souls may be more wiser and spiritual, but there are also many old souls who repeat the same mistakes and never learn their lessons, while there are some new souls who evolve/progress at a much quicker rate. So remove any previous connotations you’ve heard about either.
With the fast-growing population, more and more new souls enter this world. We currently have more “new souls” than ever (on this current Earthly plane, at least…) At the same time, we also have countless returning souls who are much older.

The best way to determine the age of a person’s soul is to analyze the energy.
Energy of a New Soul:
- New souls have very high energy. They are “doers” rather than “be-ers.” There’s a deep urge inside of them that craves seeing all there is to see, accomplishing as much as they possibly can. New souls like to travel, frequently move homes, accumulate many belongings, and have high-powered careers. Quite often, new souls grow up to become actors and singers, or doctors, or lawyers, etc. New souls tend to earn high educations — college degrees, grad school, med school, etc. On the other hand, they may reject formal education completely, dropping out of high school, eager to start working and make a name for themselves — like moving to Hollywood to start a band. New souls tend to work 60+ hours a week, sometimes on-the-job 24/7.
- New souls always go along with the trends, and are often one step ahead of the trends. They keep up with the latest fashion, the latest music artists, the latest movies and TV shows, etc. They always have the latest gadgets — the first ones to upgrade to the new iPhone, for example. New souls have a passion for novelty and tend to completely reject tradition. They typically shame ancient practices and old ways of thinking, and instead, are focused on bringing something brand new to the table. New souls want to be the first ones to try things that have never been done before — often making them daredevils and adrenaline junkies. They have creative minds and have a great ability to come up with completely original ideas.
- New souls are outgoing, talkative, extroverted, and eager to meet new people. They have an easy time making new friends and opening up to people — they are quick to share their secrets and life story with others. New souls are very trusting, sometimes naive. They are impulsive and rarely hesitate when making decisions. They tend to believe whatever they are told without questioning it. Their attitude towards the future is extremely hopeful — their motto is that “all things get better in time.”
- New souls tend to have great health during their youth — no allergies, no food sensitivities, fast metabolisms, they never get sick, etc. However, they are also much less health-conscious, and likely to develop many health problems later in their lives. New souls are in a rush to grow up — time moves slower for them and their patience wares thin.
Energy of an Old Soul:
- Old souls give off the vibe that they have “seen it all before” and that they are hard to impress. They tend to be loners who prefer keeping to themselves, they can be very quiet and withdrawn. They often avoid parties, and prefer “stay-cations” at home over traveling. For old souls, they tend to put their career on the back-burner and simply do whatever they need to pay the bills — they will gladly take a lower-paying job over an overly stressful one that demands all of their time. Old souls are always exhausted; they will still feel drained after six cups of coffee, they’re just always tired. Still, old souls like to stay active and accomplish their goals, but they are super picky about what they give their limited energy to. Old souls do not seek fame or attention, they prefer to stay low-key, and it strongly aggravates them when other people try to nose into their personal business.
- Old souls adore all things vintage. They are excited by antique stores, tend to collect heirlooms, and wear clothing styles from prior decades. Old souls love to “bring back” old trends and make them fashionable once again. They generally enjoy old films, old music artists, and other media from before their time. It takes them a while to hop on the new trends, if ever! Old souls are extremely fascinated with ancient practices and mysteries — for example yoga, herbal medicine, etc. They like to carry on family traditions. They also like to rediscover and share “forgotten” beliefs and practices.
- Old souls have a difficult time trusting others, and it takes a great amount of time and work for them to open up to someone. They believe that there is always more than meets the eye, and that there are two sides to every story. They are kind and friendly, but unlikely to reach out to someone unless the other person reaches out first. They are extremely introverted and require lots of alone-time and space. With extreme caution and hesitancy, they tend to think very long and deeply about every decision they make. Old souls are highly nostalgic and romanticize the past, while feeling hopeless about the future.
- Old souls typically have many health problems, especially “unexplained” issues that puzzle doctors. However, old souls tend to become healthier in their elderly years, as they practice more self-care. Old souls are especially prone to mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. They burn out easily and require more sleep and rest.

Childhood:
Another way to determine someone’s soul-age is to look at their childhood.
- New soul: A new soul is extremely hyperactive during childhood, all the time. In school, they do very well, getting A+’s on tests without even studying. In class, they are usually raising their hands often and asking many questions or telling stories. They might get in trouble for talking too much. They usually like to sit at the front or the center or the class. Especially in middle school, they are part of the “popular crowd” and very socially savvy. They’re in a rush to grow up — the first to have a boyfriend/girlfriend, the first to get a job, etc. They’re either in many sports or many clubs, often the leader/president/etc.
- Old soul: An old soul is usually very quiet and shy, especially in school. Adults will tell them that they are “wise beyond their years.” Old souls struggle with their grades, and have to try twice as hard as their peers. They try to avoid after-school activities if they can. In class, they always sit towards the back and try to avoid getting called on. They usually have one or two very close best friends. They are slower to grow up and hold onto their youth, because time seems to go faster for them.
Appearance:
It’s not recommended to judge someone’s soul-age based on appearance, because looks can deceive — while energy never lies.
Souls present themselves in a wide variety of appearances — new souls often look older, while old souls look younger — but that’s not always the case. New souls, who are in a rush to grow up, typically present themselves as older by wearing more makeup or more mature clothing. Alongside, new souls may age faster because of their on-the-go lifestyle.
Some people say that you can see it in a person’s eyes — an old soul supposedly has more depth to their eyes. Another claim is that new souls have eyes that are more wider set apart than old souls.
Many say that an old soul has more marks on their skin — birthmarks, scars, etc. Some say each birthmark represents a past life, or the way they were killed/injured in a past life. Alongside, old souls are more klutzy and prone to accidents — thus more scars.
The way a person walks can say a lot about their soul-age. New souls usually walk very fast and poised, while old souls may drag their feet or even have a hunchback. Also, old souls may walk as if they’re losing balance, or they’re about to fall. A new soul appears more interactive with the material world, while an old soul looks more lost in their head.
Middle soul
There is such thing as a “middle soul” — someone who resonates with both qualities of new and old souls. This is someone who has gone through too many lifetimes to be considered new, but not enough lifetimes to be considered old. They tend to relate more to new souls in their youth, and relate more to old souls in the latter part of their lives. A perfect example is a child star who receives a lot of fame and money, but grows up to realize that this type of life is not for them, and hides from the media, living a quiet life of seclusion.
Romance
When it comes to romance, new souls tend to bounce around between relationships — many of them try to accumulate as many partners as possible. They fall in love very quickly, but fall out of love just as fast. They may marry someone they’ve only known for a few months, just to divorce after less than a few years later. They often have commitment issues. Their partnerships are either deep and short, or long and shallow. However, they are certainly capable of a healthy romance, and many of them prefer to be in love, especially later in life.
Old souls are often single, as they can be extremely picky with strong trust issues. It takes so much for them to open up. Many old souls decide to stay alone for the rest of their lives, because it’s easier that way. They are usually the last ones to start dating or get married, but not always.

It’s totally possible for new souls and old souls to date — in fact happens more often than you’d think. The new soul encourages the old soul to open up, while the old soul provides stability. A perfect example is [Prince] Harry (old soul) and Meghan Markle (young soul.) Harry is attracted to Meghan’s forward-thinking and rejection of tradition, while Meghan is attracted to Harry’s chivalry and open-mindedness.
When two new souls get together, it can be very fun and exciting, but there is typically a lack of commitment. When two old souls get together, it can be beautiful and long-lasting — however, with so much baggage and trust issues, there can be a lot of secrecy and avoidance of intimacy. When your partner is the same soul-age as you, it can promote more understanding and similarities — however, there is an inability to balance each other out.
Lastly, keep in mind you can have two old souls — but one is slightly older; or two new souls — but one is slightly newer. And then there’s middle souls, too. The combinations are endless! Love is boundless!
Keeping awareness
Being aware of your soul age, as well as the soul age of others, helps promote more understanding and harmony in life. It’s important to understand that there is more to life than a person’s physical age.
Both new souls and old souls aspire towards change, but in different ways — new souls want to start from scratch and demolish the past, while old souls want to hang onto tradition yet evolve it into something better. Without new souls, evolution would come to a halt — but without old souls, important knowledge would be forgotten. So both sides are equally important.
Yeah, the idea that old souls are “better” is one reason I don’t usually try to make any claims about my soul age. Also, I don’t know for sure. I’ve often felt that I must have lived to be fairly old in my previous life because I identified so strongly with being old even as a child, but that’s different from being an old soul. Actually, based on your description, I’d probably fall into the middle soul category.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You definitely give me strong “old soul” vibes! (In the best way possible!) But ultimately the only person who knows best is themselves. You could certainly be between middle and old. But anyway — yes, exactly! I aimed to write this in the most non-biased way possible because it seems that when people say “I’m an old soul” that others get offended, that it implies that the person is superior or more spiritual. I think soul-age is a real phenomenon, but it has nothing to do with being better than anyone. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Man what a good reading! I do identify as an old soul Hippie but totally agree with with old souls being classified as “better” hints why outside of my blog don’t tend to go announcing I probably have an old soul. However I noticed even as a child that I listened to music way before my time (such as Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole) enjoyed old movies, actors, had much stranger collections from my friends (have collected gems stones since I was about 5). So I’ve always enjoyed things before me time considering I was born in the early 80’s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You certainly sound like an old soul to me!!! Thanks so much for reading! 🙂
LikeLike
Hi there,
Really interesting article! I’ve been told that I’m an old soul in the past. I’ve always been mature for my age as a child but I thought that was down to a difficult home life where I had to grow up quickly. This same person also said that my son is an old soul and my daughter is a new soul. That was the first time I’ve ever heard that term and was very confused! I always thought she was an old soul because she’s very smart, mature and always spoke like a grown up since the age of 3. She is very sociable and can get restless if there’s no activity. However she’s also a worrier, constantly checking if everything is ok and absorbs everyone else’s problems, which I believe is an empath. So I guess she could be a middle soul?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey, thanks for reading! Whatever your gut instinct is telling you is likely truth. She could possibly be a middle soul if she shows signs of both. It might be easier to tell with age as well. Maturity is certainly a sign of old soul, especially at a very young age. And constant worry about others is both a sign of old soul and empath. New souls tend to be much more self-absorbed and do not handle responsibility well (which is not a bad thing, it’s natural) To me it sounds like she is more of an old soul, with a lot of passion. 😊
LikeLike