IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intell/v62y2017icp79-88.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Associations of intelligence across the life course with optimism and pessimism in older age

Author

Listed:
  • Taylor, Adele M.
  • Ritchie, Stuart J.
  • Deary, Ian J.

Abstract

Maintaining good cognitive function is important for successful aging, and it has been suggested recently that having and optimistic outlook may also be valuable. However few have studied the relationship between cognitive ability and dispositional optimism and pessimism in older age. It is unclear whether associations found previously between cognitive ability and pessimism in older age, are evident across the life course, and are consistent at different points in older age. In the present study we examined associations between dispositional optimism and pessimism measured in the eighth and ninth decade of life and childhood and older age cognitive ability, and lifetime change in cognitive ability. Participants were two independent narrow-age samples of older individuals with mean ages about 73 (n=847) and 87 (n=220) years from the Lothian Birth Cohorts of 1936 (LBC1936) and 1921 (LBC1921), respectively. Higher cognitive ability in childhood and older-age, and healthier cognitive change across the lifetime were associated with lower pessimism in older age: age-11 IQ (LBC1936: β=−0.17, p<0.001; LBC1921: β=−0.29, p=0.001), older-age IQ (LBC1936: β=−0.18, p<0.001; LBC1921: β=−0.27, p<0.001), cognitive change (LBC1936: β=−0.06, p<0.04; LBC1921: β=−0.15, p=0.05). Cognitive ability was not significantly associated with optimism in bivariate analyses, and after adjustment for covariates had only small associations with optimism and only in the LBC1936. The results are consistent with differential associations between cognitive functions and optimism and pessimism, and indicate that their associations with cognitive ability are similar in the eighth and ninth decades of life.

Suggested Citation

  • Taylor, Adele M. & Ritchie, Stuart J. & Deary, Ian J., 2017. "Associations of intelligence across the life course with optimism and pessimism in older age," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 79-88.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intell:v:62:y:2017:i:c:p:79-88
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2017.03.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289616303166
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intell.2017.03.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ellen Ek & Jouko Remes & Ulla Sovio, 2004. "Social and Developmental Predictors of Optimism from Infancy to Early Adulthood," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 69(2), pages 219-242, November.
    2. Yuval Palgi, 2013. "Ongoing Cumulative Chronic Stressors as Predictors of Well-Being in the Second Half of Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 1127-1144, August.
    3. Hart, C. L. & Taylor, M. D. & Smith, G. Davey & Whalley, L. J. & Starr, J. M. & Hole, D. J. & Wilson, V. & Deary, I. J., 2004. "Childhood IQ and cardiovascular disease in adulthood: prospective observational study linking the Scottish Mental Survey 1932 and the Midspan studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(10), pages 2131-2138, November.
    4. Daniel K. Mroczek & Avron Spiro, 2003. "Modeling Intraindividual Change in Personality Traits: Findings From the Normative Aging Study," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 58(3), pages 153-165.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Abdul Manap Pulungan, . "Determinan Neraca Transaksi Berjalan Indonesia," INDEF Working Papers, Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), number 032020, January-J.
    2. Angie L Sardina & Christa T Mahlobo & Alyssa A Gamaldo & Jason C Allaire & Keith E Whitfield & Elizabeth Munoz, 2022. "Exploring the Association Between Affect and Leisure Activity Engagement in Black Adults [Education desegregation and cognitive change in African American older adults]," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 77(12), pages 2157-2169.
    3. Sabina Lissitsa & Ofrit Kol, 2021. "Four generational cohorts and hedonic m-shopping: association between personality traits and purchase intention," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 545-570, June.
    4. Murasko, Jason E., 2013. "Physical growth and cognitive skills in early-life: Evidence from a nationally representative US birth cohort," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 267-277.
    5. Patrick L. Hill & Brennan R. Payne & Joshua J. Jackson & Elizabeth A. L. Stine-Morrow & Brent W. Roberts, 2014. "Perceived Social Support Predicts Increased Conscientiousness During Older Adulthood," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 69(4), pages 543-547.
    6. Mackenbach, Johan P., 2012. "The persistence of health inequalities in modern welfare states: The explanation of a paradox," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(4), pages 761-769.
    7. van den Berg, Gerard J. & Modin, Bitte, 2013. "Economic Conditions at Birth, Birth Weight, Ability, and the Causal Path to Cardiovascular Mortality," IZA Discussion Papers 7605, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. White, Joshua V. & Harms, P.D. & Borgholthaus, Cameron J. & Tuggle, Christopher S., 2023. "I’m not the executive that I used to be: Understanding causes and consequences of personality change in the upper echelons," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    9. Ellen Ek & Anitta Sirviö & Markku Koiranen & Anja Taanila, 2014. "Psychological Well-Being, Job Strain and Education Among Young Finnish Precarious Employees," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(3), pages 1057-1069, February.
    10. Mosca, Irene & McCrory, Cathal, 2016. "Personality and wealth accumulation among older couples: Do dispositional characteristics pay dividends?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 1-19.
    11. Robert Kaestner & Kevin Callison, 2011. "Adolescent Cognitive and Noncognitive Correlates of Adult Health," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 5(1), pages 29-69.
    12. Keith Millar & Suzanne M Lloyd & Jennifer S McLean & G David Batty & Harry Burns & Jonathan Cavanagh & Kevin A Deans & Ian Ford & Alex McConnachie & Agnes McGinty & Réne Mõttus & Chris J Packard & Nav, 2013. "Personality, Socio-Economic Status and Inflammation: Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(3), pages 1-10, March.
    13. Eva Asselmann & Jule Specht, 2019. "Till Death Do Us Part: Transactions between Losing One’s Spouse and the Big Five Personality Traits," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1063, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    14. Marina Näsman & Fredrica Nyqvist & Mikael Nygård, 2022. "Disentangling the Concept of Well-Being in Very Old Age Using Rodgers’ Evolutionary Concept Analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 3101-3126, August.
    15. Der, Geoff & Deary, Ian J., 2018. "Reaction times match IQ for major causes of mortality: Evidence from a population based prospective cohort study," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 134-145.
    16. Ek, Ellen & Koiranen, Markku & Raatikka, Veli-Pekka & Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta & Taanila, Anja, 2008. "Psychosocial factors as mediators between migration and subjective well-being among young Finnish adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(7), pages 1545-1556, April.
    17. Jonathan Luffarelli & Sebastiano A. Delre & Polina Landgraf, 2023. "How has the effect of brand personality on customer-based brand equity changed over time? Longitudinal evidence from a panel data set spanning 18 years," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 598-616, May.
    18. Kimberly McAdams & Richard Lucas & M. Donnellan, 2012. "The Role of Domain Satisfaction in Explaining the Paradoxical Association Between Life Satisfaction and Age," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 109(2), pages 295-303, November.
    19. Hemmingsson, Tomas & Essen, Jan v. & Melin, Bo & Allebeck, Peter & Lundberg, Ingvar, 2007. "The association between cognitive ability measured at ages 18-20 and coronary heart disease in middle age among men: A prospective study using the Swedish 1969 conscription cohort," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(7), pages 1410-1419, October.
    20. Marissa A. Gogniat & Violeta J. Rodriguez & Maria Granros & Kharine R. Jean & Talia L. Robinson & L. Stephen Miller, 2022. "Differential Item Functioning: An Examination of the NEO-FFI by Sex in Older Adults," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:intell:v:62:y:2017:i:c:p:79-88. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/intelligence .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.