Objectives This study examined whether education predicts mortality among older adults and whether lifelong learning and family-based social support moderate this association within an embodied cognitive reserve framework. Methods MIDUS 2 linked to 2016 National Death Index data were analyzed ( N = 584; age ≥ 60). Cox proportional hazards models estimated mortality as a function of educational attainment (occupational education index), lifelong learning (PCA-derived factor score), and family-based social support (standardized composite). Interaction terms (education × lifelong learning; education × family support) were modeled to assess buffering effects on the education-mortality link, adjusting for age and sex. Results Higher education was associated with lower mortality risk (HR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.73, 0.94). Lifelong learning strengthened this effect after adjusting for baseline functional limitations. Family-based social support showed a weaker moderating effect. Conclusions Findings support the embodied cognitive reserve framework, suggesting that lifelong learning enhances the survival benefits of education.
Kuo et al. (Sat,) studied this question.