Social Comparisons of Health and Cognitive Functioning Contribute to Changes in Subjective Age

Objective: As individuals age, they monitor how well they are aging by comparing themselves with their peers. We examined whether such social comparisons contribute to change in one's subjective age over time and whether they mediate the relationship of health and cognitive functioning with subjective age. Method: A total of 3,427 participants from the Midlife in the United States study were assessed on subjective age on two occasions 10 years apart. Measures of cognition and health were taken at the second wave along with social comparison measures for health and memory.