Happiness of Centenarians a Severely Neglected Area of Research
A systematic review by researchers at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), UNSW Sydney has highlighted the need for clearer definitions of ‘happiness’, ‘life satisfaction’ and ‘positive affect’ in centenarians. This is the first systematic review to summarise the literature on the subjective wellbeing of this unique age group.
The review, published in Aging & Mental Health, identified 18 studies that followed patients from several weeks to 18 years and looked at subjective wellbeing, comprising a cognitive component and an affective component.
The cognitive component is represented as ‘life satisfaction’ and the affective or mood component defined in relation to a person’s immediate emotional state.