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Social Comparisons of Health and Cognitive Functioning Contribute to Changes in Subjective Age

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  • Matthew L Hughes
  • Margie E Lachman

Abstract

ObjectiveAs individuals age, they monitor how well they are aging by comparing themselves with their peers. We examined whether such social comparisons contribute to change in one’s subjective age over time and whether they mediate the relationship of health and cognitive functioning with subjective age. Method A total of 3,427 participants from the Midlife in the United States study were assessed on subjective age on two occasions 10 years apart. Measures of cognition and health were taken at the second wave along with social comparison measures for health and memory. Results The results showed that social comparisons of memory and health mediated the relationship between memory performance and level of subjective age as well as the relationship between functional health and subjective age change. Discussion The results suggest that those who have better functioning in aging-relevant domains have a more favorable view of themselves compared with others, which in turn predicted a younger subjective age and smaller increases in subjective age over 10 years. When social comparisons were considered, those who had better health and memory and more favorable comparative assessments did not feel that they had aged as much as those who had lower functioning and assessments.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew L Hughes & Margie E Lachman, 2018. "Social Comparisons of Health and Cognitive Functioning Contribute to Changes in Subjective Age," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(5), pages 816-824.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:73:y:2018:i:5:p:816-824.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbw044
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Margie E Lachman & Stefan Agrigoroaei, 2010. "Promoting Functional Health in Midlife and Old Age: Long-Term Protective Effects of Control Beliefs, Social Support, and Physical Exercise," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(10), pages 1-9, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Susanne Wurm & Maja Wiest & Julia K. Wolff & Ann-Kristin Beyer & Svenja M. Spuling, 2020. "Changes in views on aging in later adulthood: the role of cardiovascular events," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 457-467, December.
    2. Yannick Stephan & Angelina R. Sutin & Antonio Terracciano, 2020. "Physical activity and subjective age across adulthood in four samples," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 469-476, December.
    3. Stephan, Yannick & Sutin, Angelina R. & Kornadt, Anna & Caudroit, Johan & Terracciano, Antonio, 2018. "Higher IQ in adolescence is related to a younger subjective age in later life: Findings from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 195-199.
    4. Joann M. Montepare, 2020. "Publisher Correction to: An exploration of subjective age, actual age, age awareness, and engagement in everyday," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 489-497, December.
    5. Joann M. Montepare, 2020. "An exploration of subjective age, actual age, age awareness, and engagement in everyday behaviors," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 299-307, September.
    6. Bram Vanhoutte & Deborah Carr, 2021. "Age Takes Hold of Us by Surprise: Conceptualizing Vulnerabilities in Aging as the Timing of Adverse Events [Cox’s regression model for counting processes: A large sample study]," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(1), pages 152-160.

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