Enhancing positive perceptions of aging by savoring life lessons

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study examined the effects of savoring valuable life lessons on perceptions of aging and on well-being among older adults.

Method: A total of 303 adults (mean age = 68.12 years) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: savoring life lessons (n = 95), reflecting on negative aspects of aging (n = 129), or untreated-control condition (n = 79). Participants in the savoring condition wrote about a valuable lesson they had learned in growing older, whereas participants in the negative-aging condition wrote about physical losses they had experienced in aging.

Results: After controlling for baseline happiness, health, gender, and age, participants who savored valuable life lessons reported greater positive perceptions of aging and life satisfaction, compared to participants in the negative-aging and untreated-control conditions. There were no differences across conditions in negative perceptions of aging or in anxiety.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that savoring valuable life lessons could be an effective addition to psychoeducational programs designed to improve perceptions of aging.

KEYWORDS:

• Emotion regulation
• life satisfaction
• attitudes toward aging
• older adults
• well-being

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by Mather LifeWays. The authors would like to thank Ajla Basic and Dugan O'Connor for their assistance with data coding, and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful suggestions. This research was supported by funding from Mather LifeWays.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.