IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/eujoag/v21y2024i1d10.1007_s10433-024-00820-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Soft skills and their relationship with life satisfaction and cognitive reserve in adulthood and older age

Author

Listed:
  • Tommaso Feraco

    (University of Padova)

  • Nicole Casali

    (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law)

  • Elena Carbone

    (University of Padova)

  • Chiara Meneghetti

    (University of Padova)

  • Erika Borella

    (University of Padova)

  • Barbara Carretti

    (University of Padova)

  • Veronica Muffato

    (University of Padova)

Abstract

Soft skills are key factors for success in multiple contexts of daily life, as well as for life satisfaction, but little is known about their role in late adulthood and older age. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationships of soft skills, as defined by the World Economic Forum, with two indicators of successful/healthy aging: life satisfaction and cognitive reserve. A sample of 435 adults aged 50 and over completed self-reported measures of soft skills, life satisfaction, and cognitive reserve. As control, fluid (reasoning) and crystalized (vocabulary) intelligence were assessed too, along with socio-demographic characteristics. A series of regression analyses showed that soft skills were positively related to both life satisfaction and, to a lower extent, cognitive reserve, above and beyond gender, age, and both fluid and crystallized intelligence. Interestingly, these associations were independent from participants’ age. Overall, these results highlight the importance of considering soft skills also over the middle-late adult life course, due to the potential role of these individual qualities in supporting an individual’s well-being and an active and engaged lifestyle, with implications for the promotion of a healthy aging.

Suggested Citation

  • Tommaso Feraco & Nicole Casali & Elena Carbone & Chiara Meneghetti & Erika Borella & Barbara Carretti & Veronica Muffato, 2024. "Soft skills and their relationship with life satisfaction and cognitive reserve in adulthood and older age," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:21:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-024-00820-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-024-00820-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10433-024-00820-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10433-024-00820-2?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. Heckman, James J. & Kautz, Tim, 2012. "Hard evidence on soft skills," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 451-464.
    2. Doris Baumann & Willibald Ruch & Katja Margelisch & Fabian Gander & Lisa Wagner, 2020. "Character Strengths and Life Satisfaction in Later Life: an Analysis of Different Living Conditions," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 329-347, April.
    3. Erika Borella & Paolo Ghisletta & Elena Carbone & Stephen Aichele, 2023. "The Current and Retrospective Cognitive Reserve (2CR) survey and its relationship with cognitive and mood measures," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Nicola S. Schutte & John M. Malouff, 2019. "The Impact of Signature Character Strengths Interventions: A Meta-analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1179-1196, April.
    5. Francesca B. Falzarano & Neshat Yazdani & Jillian Minahan Zucchetto & Karen L. Siedlecki, 2022. "Does Neurocognition Predict Subjective Well-Being?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 3713-3730, December.
    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. Datu, Jesus Alfonso D. & Jose Mateo, Nino, 2020. "Character strengths, academic self-efficacy, and well-being outcomes in the Philippines: A longitudinal study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    2. Lea Cassar & Mira Fischer & Vanessa Valero, 2022. "Keep Calm and Carry On: Immediate-vs. Six-Month Effects of Mindfulness Training on Academic Performance," CESifo Working Paper Series 10099, CESifo.
    3. Hendrik Jürges & Luca Stella & Sameh Hallaq & Alexandra Schwarz, 2022. "Cohort at risk: long-term consequences of conflict for child school achievement," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(1), pages 1-43, January.
    4. Lechner, Michael & Sari, Nazmi, 2015. "Labor market effects of sports and exercise: Evidence from Canadian panel data," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 1-15.
    5. Estrellado, Emmanuel & Charoensilp, Pimmada & Yamada, Shoko, 2023. "The effects of game-based soft skills training: A quasi-experiment with Ethiopian garment workers," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    6. Nataliya Kusa, 2018. "Should intra-familial time transfers be compensated financially?," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201802, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    7. LaFave, Daniel & Thomas, Duncan, 2017. "Extended families and child well-being," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 52-65.
    8. Fulvia Pennoni & Beata Bal-Domańska, 2022. "NEETs and Youth Unemployment: A Longitudinal Comparison Across European Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 739-761, July.
    9. Stephen Yeaple & Chong Xiang, 2017. "Educational Quality along Multiple Dimensions: A Cross-Country Analysis," 2017 Meeting Papers 510, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    10. Shubha Chakravarty & Sarah Haddock & Ioana Botea, 2016. "Providing Out-of-School Adolescent Girls with Skills," World Bank Publications - Reports 24571, The World Bank Group.
    11. David J. Deming, 2017. "The Growing Importance of Social Skills in the Labor Market," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 132(4), pages 1593-1640.
    12. Calderone, Margherita & Fiala, Nathan & Melyoki, Lemayon Lemilia & Schoofs, Annekathrin & Steinacher, Rachel, 2022. "Making intense skills training work at scale: Evidence on business and labor market outcomes in Tanzania," Ruhr Economic Papers 950, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    13. Mihails Hazans & Jaan Masso & Per Botolf Maurseth, 2023. "Human values and selection into supervisory positions: Evidence from nine European countries," EGEIWP 01-2023, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza - Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", revised Dec 2023.
    14. Shelly Lundberg, 2013. "The College Type: Personality and Educational Inequality," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 31(3), pages 421-441.
    15. Pablo Lavado & Nelson Oviedo & Hernán Ruffo, 2016. "Destruction of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills in Adulthood," Working Papers 16-07, Centro de Investigación, Universidad del Pacífico.
    16. Calero, Carla & Gonzalez Diez, Veronica & Soares, Yuri S.D. & Kluve, Jochen & Corseuil, Carlos Henrique, 2017. "Can arts-based interventions enhance labor market outcomes among youth? Evidence from a randomized trial in Rio de Janeiro," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 131-142.
    17. Vittadini, Giorgio & Sturaro, Caterina & Folloni, Giuseppe, 2022. "Non-Cognitive Skills and Cognitive Skills to measure school efficiency," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    18. Dalton,Patricio S. & Ruschenpohler,Julius & Zia,Bilal Husnain, 2018. "Determinants and dynamics of business aspirations : evidence from small-scale entrepreneurs in an emerging market," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8400, The World Bank.
    19. Thomas S. Dee & Hans Henrik Sievertsen, 2018. "The gift of time? School starting age and mental health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(5), pages 781-802, May.
    20. Figueroa, José Luis, 2014. "Distributional effects of Oportunidades on early child development," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 42-49.

    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:spr:eujoag:v:21:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-024-00820-2. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.