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Keeping the mind sharp linked to greater happiness in older age, 12-year study finds

Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), UNSW Sydney

A major long-term study has found that older adults with stronger cognitive abilities report higher levels of life satisfaction, positive mood, and health-related quality of life over time.

Published in Aging & Mental Health and led by UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), the research followed more than 1,000 older adults, who did not have dementia at entry into the study, for over 12 years, making it one of the most comprehensive studies to examine how thinking abilities relate to wellbeing in later life.

Looking beyond disease

Wellbeing in older age is often discussed in terms of physical illness or disability. However, researchers say this overlooks an important part of the picture: how people feel about their own lives.

“Subjective wellbeing” refers to a person’s own assessment of their happiness, including life satisfaction and positive emotions. “Health-related quality of life” focuses more specifically on how people feel about their health and its impact on daily living.

Lead author on the research, Dr Michael Connors, says that both measures give older adults a voice in defining what successful ageing means to them - not just the absence of disease, but the presence of fulfilment and positive experiences.

CHeBA’s Sydney Memory and Ageing Study assessed 1037 community-dwelling older adults every two years. Participants were required to complete detailed cognitive (thinking and memory) tests, medical and health assessments, surveys measuring life satisfaction and positive emotions, questionnaires on health-related quality of life, and measures of depression, anxiety, and personality.

“We used advanced statistical modelling to examine how cognition and other factors were linked to wellbeing over time,” said Dr Connors. 

“Results showed that older adults with higher cognitive scores reported greater life satisfaction, more positive emotions, and better health-related quality of life.”

According to the research, these links remained consistent over the full 12-year period.

The relationship held even after accounting for age, sex, physical health, daily functioning, relationship status, depression, anxiety, personality traits, and alcohol use. It also held after excluding people who developed dementia.

“We found that wellbeing in older age isn’t determined by cognition alone,” said Dr Connors.

“Several other factors independently played an important role. Older adults who had better physical health and were able to function more independently in their daily lives tended to report higher levels of life satisfaction and quality of life. Lower levels of anxiety were also strongly linked to better wellbeing. Personality made a difference too - people who were less prone to worry and emotional distress (lower neuroticism), and those who tended to be organised, responsible and self-disciplined (higher conscientiousness), consistently reported better wellbeing.

“Together, these findings show that successful ageing is shaped by a combination of mental sharpness, physical health, emotional health, and enduring personality traits.”

Interestingly, female sex, older age, and living in residential care were associated with poorer health-related quality of life, but not necessarily lower life satisfaction or positive mood.

The findings suggest that maintaining cognitive health may play an important role in supporting happiness and quality of life in older age - beyond its well-known role in reducing dementia risk.

Importantly, the study highlights that wellbeing in later life is shaped by multiple factors. Physical health, mental health, personality and everyday functioning all contribute to how older adults experience their lives.

Senior author on the paper Professor Henry Brodaty AO, who is Co-Director of CHeBA and Senior Australian of the Year, says the results support growing interest in public health initiatives aimed at promoting both cognitive health and overall wellbeing in ageing populations. He adds that more research is needed to understand what interventions can be offered to improve wellbeing.

A broader view of ageing

As populations age worldwide, the study reinforces the importance of looking beyond disease-focused measures and considering how older adults evaluate their own lives.

It supports a consistent message from CHeBA that successful ageing is not just about living longer - it’s also about living well. It’s about improving healthspan as well as lifespan.

About us:

www.cheba.unsw.edu.au 

Contact details:

Heidi Douglass

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