New research carried out by University College London (UCL) has revealed that older people who enjoy life show slower signs of physical decline as they age. The study included 3199 men and women aged 60 years or over living in England and looked at the link between positive well-being and physical health. The research took place over a period of eight years.
Participants were divided into three age groups, namely 60-69, 70-79 and 80 years or over and their enjoyment of life was assessed using a four-point scale. Personal interviews took place to determine whether participants had impairments in daily activities such as getting out of bed, getting dressed, bathing or showering and their walking speed was measured with a gait test.
Dr Andrew Steptoe from said: "The study shows that older people who are happier and enjoy life more show slower declines in physical function as they age. They are less likely to develop impairments in activities of daily living such as dressing or getting in or out of bed, and their walking speed declines at a slower rate than those who enjoy life less."
Participants in the 60-69 age bracket had the highest levels of well-being as did those with higher socioeconomic status and education and those who were married and working. Perhaps not surprisingly, people with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke and depression had lower levels of enjoyment of life. People with low well-being were more than three times as likely as their positive counterparts to develop problems in their daily physical activities.
"This is not because the happier people are in better health, or younger, or richer, or have more healthy lifestyles at the outset, since even when we take these factors into account, the relationship persists," Steptoe says. "Our previous work has shown that older people with greater enjoyment of life are more likely to survive over the next 8 years; what this study shows is that they also keep up better physical function."
"Our results provide further evidence that enjoyment of life is relevant to the future disability and mobility of older people," Steptoe concludes. "Efforts to enhance well-being at older ages may have benefits to society and health care systems."
The study was reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (92014, January 20).