Home Forums Other Specialities General Topics Greater life satisfaction in over 50s reduced risk of death

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      Jennifer Newton for MailOnline reports that according to research middle aged people who are content with life are a fifth less likely to suffer an early death.
      The research, published in the journal Psychological Science and involving more than 4,000 people who were followed for up to nine years, indicated that greater life satisfaction in adults over 50 is related to a reduced risk of mortality. It also revealed that variability in life satisfaction across time increases risk of mortality – but only among less satisfied people.

      Doctor Julia Boehm, assistant professor of psychology at Chapman University in the United States, said: ‘Although life satisfaction is typically considered relatively consistent across time, it may change in response to life circumstances such as divorce or unemployment. ‘Some people may adapt more readily to new situations and thus appear to have relatively stable life satisfaction, and others may not adapt as quickly. ‘If people repeatedly encounter distressing life events that diminish their life satisfaction, then fluctuations in lower levels of satisfaction seem to be particularly harmful for longevity.’

      In each year of the nine-year study, older men and women responded to the question: ‘All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life?’ Responses ranged from 0 to 10, with 10 indicating greater life satisfaction. The researchers assessed both average life satisfaction across time and the variability in life satisfaction across time. They also accounted for various other factors, including age, gender, education, health conditions, smoking, physical activity, and depressive symptoms.

      Over the course of the study, the researchers found that as participants’ contentment increased, their risk of mortality was reduced by 18 per cent. By contrast, greater variability in life satisfaction was associated with a 20 per cent increased risk of mortality.
      In combination, people with high levels of life satisfaction tended to have reduced risk of mortality regardless of how their life satisfaction varied over time.

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