The role of subjective age in sustaining wellbeing and health in the second half of life

Abstract

Subjective age (SA) is a core indicator of the individual ageing experience, with important consequences for successful ageing. The aim of the current study was to investigate the directions of the longitudinal associations between domains of SA and subjective wellbeing and physical functioning in the second half of life. We used three-wave survey data (2002, 2007 and 2017) spanning 15 years from the Norwegian Lifecourse, Ageing and Generation Study, including 6,292 persons born between 1922 and 1961. SA was measured with feltage and ideal-age discrepancies, wellbeing with the Satisfaction of Life Scale and physical functioning with the Short-Form 12. Three-wave cross-lagged panel models were applied to assess the temporal relationships between the different domains of SA, life satisfaction and physical functioning, adjusted for age, gender and education. Findings indicated that wanting to be younger was negatively associated with life satisfaction and physical functioning over time. Felt-age discrepancies did not predict subsequent wellbeing or physical functioning. The results did not reveal any evidence for reversed effects, i.e. from functioning or life satisfaction to SA. Our findings support the psychological pathway from satisfaction with age(ing) to subjective wellbeing and physical functioning over time. Small ideal-age discrepancies reflect positive self-perceptions of ageing, which may help to accumulate psychological resources, guide behavioural regulation and support health.

Subjective age and the association with intrinsic capacity, functional ability, and health among older adults in Norway

“…Among home dwellers in Norway 60 years old or older in our sample, subjective age was consistently lower than chronological age, on average, by nearly 14 years. That finding aligns with past results (Stephan et al 2013 ; Ye and Post 2020 ; Sayag and Kavé 2022 ; Veenstra et al 2021 ). In prior research (Westerhof and Barrett 2005 ), those who felt younger than their chronological age were also found to generally have higher subjective well-being and positive emotions.…”

“…Another study found that a younger subjective age was associated with a slower decline in functional health in a three-year follow-up study using the German Ageing Survey (Wettstein et al 2021a , b ). One Norwegian study found that wanting to be younger negatively related to life satisfaction and physical functioning over time, although variation in subjective age did not predict subsequent well-being or physical functioning (Veenstra et al 2021 ). Moreover, depression is associated with both older subjective age and negative attitudes towards own ageing (Schönstein et al 2021 ), whereas younger subjective age is associated with better subjective well-being and cognitive performance (Debreczeni and Bailey 2021 ).…”

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Mortality After Age 67: The Contribution of Psychological Factors

“…Subjective age (SA) is a core indicator of the individual aging experience, with important anticipated consequences for successful aging in older adults ( Kastenbaum et al, 1972 ; Kleinspehn-Ammerlahn et al, 2008 ; Kotter-Gruhn et al, 2016 ). SA comprises different components, including felt age and ideal age ( Kastenbaum et al, 1972 ; Uotinen et al, 2005 ; Veenstra et al, 2020 ). Research on SA can be traced back to as far as the 1950s ( Blau, 1956 ) and has since then consistently shown that from early middle age onwards, an increasing proportion of people feels younger than their actual age, and would like to be even younger ( Barak and Stern, 1986 ; Montepare and Lachman, 1989 ; Hubley and Hultsci, 1994 ; Daatland, 2007 ).…”

“…Wanting to be younger than one’s actual age (younger ideal age) constitutes a compensatory secondary control strategy aimed at identifying with an age that reflects desired control potential ( Heckhausen, 1997 ). It is not uncommon for older adults to report an ideal age which is 18 to 19years younger than one’s current age ( Uotinen et al, 2006 ; Keyes and Westerhof, 2012 ; Veenstra et al, 2020 ). However, findings from previous studies consistently show that wanting to be increasingly younger is associated with poorer health outcomes, including higher mortality ( Maier and Smith, 1999 ; Uotinen et al, 2006 ; Keyes and Westerhof, 2012 ; Veenstra et al, 2020 ).…”

“…It is not uncommon for older adults to report an ideal age which is 18 to 19years younger than one’s current age ( Uotinen et al, 2006 ; Keyes and Westerhof, 2012 ; Veenstra et al, 2020 ). However, findings from previous studies consistently show that wanting to be increasingly younger is associated with poorer health outcomes, including higher mortality ( Maier and Smith, 1999 ; Uotinen et al, 2006 ; Keyes and Westerhof, 2012 ; Veenstra et al, 2020 ). A large discrepancy between ideal age and one’s chronological age may arise when there is an incongruence between the aspired goal and actual constraints in opportunities to reach this goal and reflects “withdrawing effort without breaking up the motivational commitment” ( Wrosch et al, 2003 ), “a passive reflection of failure and loss” ( Heckhausen et al, 2010 ), and feelings of regret ( Heckhausen et al, 2019 ).…”