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Disentangling the Relations Between Wisdom and Different Types of Well-Being in Old Age: Findings from a Short-Term Longitudinal Study

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  • Monika Ardelt

    (University of Florida)

Abstract

Wisdom has been shown to be positively related to well-being in past cross-sectional research, but it is not clear whether wisdom affects well-being, well-being affects wisdom, or whether the association is reciprocal. This 10-month two-wave longitudinal study attempted to determine the direction of the relations between old age wisdom and physical, psychological (eudaimonic), and subjective (hedonic) well-being, using a sample of 123 older (M = 72 years) residents from a community in Florida, USA. The analyses of cross-lagged autoregressive models showed that baseline wisdom, assessed by cognitive, reflective, and compassionate (affective) dimensions of the three-dimensional wisdom scale (3D-WS), was significantly related to greater subjective well-being, mastery, purpose in life, and physical well-being at Time 2, but only baseline physical well-being was positively related to composite three-dimensional wisdom at Time 2 after controlling for baseline wisdom and well-being scores and significant control variables. The findings corroborate the hypothesis that wisdom in old age can exert a beneficial impact on physical, psychological, and subjective well-being. Helping individuals grow wiser might pay dividends in later life.

Suggested Citation

  • Monika Ardelt, 2016. "Disentangling the Relations Between Wisdom and Different Types of Well-Being in Old Age: Findings from a Short-Term Longitudinal Study," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 1963-1984, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:17:y:2016:i:5:d:10.1007_s10902-015-9680-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-015-9680-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Chau-kiu Cheung & Esther Oi-wah Chow, 2020. "Contribution of Wisdom to Well-Being in Chinese Older Adults," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 15(3), pages 913-930, July.
    2. Sai-fu Fung & Esther Oi-wah Chow & Chau-kiu Cheung, 2020. "Development and Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of a Brief Wisdom Development Scale," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-14, April.
    3. Weerakkody, Vishanth & Sivarajah, Uthayasankar & Mahroof, Kamran & Maruyama, Takao & Lu, Shan, 2021. "Influencing subjective well-being for business and sustainable development using big data and predictive regression analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 520-538.
    4. Louis Fang & Alfred Allan & Joanne M. Dickson, 2024. "Purpose in Life and Associated Cognitive and Affective Mechanisms," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 1-22, August.
    5. Małgorzata M. Puchalska-Wasyl, 2023. "Do Wisdom and Well-Being Always Go Hand in Hand? The Role of Dialogues with Oneself," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1059-1074, March.
    6. Judith Glück & Nic M. Weststrate & Andreas Scherpf, 2022. "Looking Beyond Linear: A Closer Examination of the Relationship Between Wisdom and Wellbeing," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(7), pages 3285-3313, October.

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