What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine how subjective well-being develops across the human lifespan by synthesizing longitudinal evidence across life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect.

July 1, 2023Psychological BulletinOpen Access

The development of subjective well-being across the life span: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies.

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Authors

SBSusanne BueckerWitten/Herdecke University MLMaike LuhmannGerman Center for Lung Research PHPeter HaehnerUniversity of Zurich

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Implication

Meta-analysis uncovers distinct lifespan trajectories across subjective well-being components from childhood to old age, indicating declining well-being in late adulthood.

Key Points

To determine how subjective well-being develops across the human lifespan by synthesizing longitudinal evidence across life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect.
Conducted a systematic meta-analysis of longitudinal data synthesizing 443 unique samples with a total of 460,902 participants.
Tracked mean-level changes across lifespan age intervals and evaluated moderators including gender, country, ethnicity, sample type, measure type, time frame, and birth cohort.
Life satisfaction decreased between ages 9 and 16 (d = -0.56), increased slightly until age 70 (d = 0.16), and subsequently declined until age 96 (d = -0.24).
Positive affect declined continuously from age 9 to 94 (d = -1.71), while negative affect fluctuated between ages 9 and 22, decreased until age 60 (d = -0.92), and increased until age 87 (d = 0.58).
Mean-level changes were stronger for affective components than for life satisfaction, with trajectories remaining consistent across demographic and methodological moderators.

Cite This Study

Buecker et al. (2023) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a0f257e04e2b0ba896c99ce https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000401

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Implication

Meta-analysis uncovers distinct lifespan trajectories across subjective well-being components from childhood to old age, indicating declining well-being in late adulthood.

The development of subjective well-being across the life span: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies.

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

The development of subjective well-being across the life span: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies.

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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