Older Adults: Evidence-Based Research
Being Happy in Old Age: Reasons, Methods and Challenges
This study highlights the importance of happiness for subjective well-being and notes that most people seek happiness. It identifies key contributors to happiness—health, family, social support, finances, work, independence, and generosity—and discusses how aging can impact happiness in various ways. Emphasizing the benefits of happiness, the paper advocates for exploring these influences and supporting individuals in their pursuit of sustained happiness.
The Health and Retirement Study on Aging in the 21st Century
An aging population, due to longer life expectancies and smaller family sizes, presents challenges such as a rising number of retirees and an increased burden of dementia. The Baby Boom generation's retirement amplifies these issues, highlighting the urgent need for accurate data on aging. This report presents a combination of longitudinal data
 on health, retirement, disability, resources, and family support, offering unprecedented opportunities to analyze and gain insight into aging.
Hearing Loss and Physical Activity Among Older Adults in the United States
This study explores the relationship between hearing loss, hearing aid use, and physical activity among older adults using 2021 National Health and Aging Trends Study data. Analysis of 504 participants revealed that worse hearing correlated with reduced physical activity and increased activity fragmentation. The research findings suggest that hearing loss negatively affects physical activity, underscoring the need for effective hearing interventions to support active aging.
Featured Research Studies
Memory Trajectories and Disability Among Older Couples: The Mediating Role of Depressive Symptoms
This study used longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (2004–2018) to explore how depressive symptoms mediate the relationships between memory trajectories and disability in older couples. It included 1,310 couples without initial disability. Latent class growth analysis identified distinct memory trajectories for husbands and wives. Structural equation modeling assessed the impact of these memory trajectories on depressive symptoms and subsequent disability, examining how depressive symptoms might mediate these relationships and affect disability status over time.
Time Use and Well-Being in Family and Other Unpaid Caregivers of Older Adults
This study analyzed data from 1,640 family caregivers of older adults to identify patterns in how they allocate their time and how these patterns relate to their well-being. Using latent profile analysis, the researchers categorized caregivers based on time spent in activities like caregiving, leisure, and personal commitments. They then examined how these time-use profiles correlated with various well-being outcomes. The goal was to understand how different time-use patterns impact caregiver well-being and to highlight areas for potential support improvements.
Individual Differences in Older Adult Frontal Lobe Function Relate to Memory and Neural Activity for Self-Relevant and Emotional Content
This study investigated whether frontal lobe (FL) function in older adults similarly influences memory for self-relevant and emotional content. Participants (ages 60–88) viewed various objects and imagined placing them in their own or a stranger’s home while undergoing fMRI. They were then tested on their memory of these objects. The study found that FL function was linked to memory for self-relevant content, but not emotional content, suggesting that self-relevance and emotional processing rely on different cognitive processes.
Younger and Older Adults’ Health Lies to Close Others
This study explored age differences in the frequency and motivations for telling health-related lies. Younger (N = 158) and older adults (N = 149) reported how often they lied about their health to romantic partners and parents or adult children, and their reasons for lying. Younger adults lied more frequently to hide illness or feign sickness and were more motivated by shame and embarrassment. In contrast, older adults lied less and had similar rates of deception across different relationships, suggesting increased health-related honesty with age.
Social Activities and Risk of Dementia in Community-Dwelling Older People: Gender-Specific Findings From a Prospective Cohort Study
This study investigated gender-specific links between social activities and dementia risk among older Australians. Over a median follow-up of 6.4 years, data from 9,936 participants revealed varying associations: caregiving for a sick person was linked to reduced dementia risk in women, while having many close relatives was associated with lower risk in men. Unexpectedly, having multiple close friends was associated with higher dementia risk in women. The findings suggest that different social activities may impact dementia risk differently for men and women, warranting further research.
A Greater Variety of Social Activities Is Associated With Lower Mortality Risk
This study explored the impact of social activity variety on mortality risk, using data from 5,017 adults aged 51 and older from the Health and Retirement Study. The research found that greater variety in social activities, such as mixing volunteering with club meetings, was associated with lower mortality risk over 11 years. This association was particularly strong among older adults. The study highlights the importance of engaging in diverse social activities for improved longevity, beyond just the frequency of social interactions.