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An unprecedented window into the most private thinking about success of four male and four female middle-aged lawyers, each of whom is widely recognised to be at the apex of the legal profession in Canada.

As the global population ages rapidly, from a positive aging view, promoting later life through sport participation has been recognized as strategies for maintaining and boosting the social and psychological health of older people. To better understand the role of sport participation among older adults, the primary purpose of the study was to explore the mediating role of social capital on the relationship between sport participation and happiness among older adults. A convenience sample of 208 pickleball participants aged from 50 to 83 years completed a survey. A level of pickleball participation was measured using Serious Leisure Inventory, social capital was measured by cognitive (i.e., feelings of trust and safety) and structural (i.e., community participation, neighborhood connections) social capital, and happiness was measured by a single item scale of general feelings of happiness. After controlling socio-demographic characteristics, results showed that (a) pickleball participation was significantly and positively predicted by general happiness, (b) pickleball participation was significantly and positively predicted by all three elements of social capital, (c) two elements of social capital (i.e., feelings of trust and safety, neighborhood connections) had a significant and positive mediating role on the relationship between pickleball participation and general happiness. We suggest that sport-based social capital intervention can add significant value to older adults’ general happiness for successful aging.

Although aging workforces result in numerous practical challenges for organizations and societies, little research has focused on successful aging at work. The limited existent research has generated rather diverse conceptualizations of successful aging at work, which are often broad and difficult to operationalize in practice. Therefore, to advance research and practice, we offer a specific and practical conceptualization of successful aging at work by developing a process model, which identifies relevant antecedents and mechanisms. In particular, we define successful aging at work as the proactive maintenance of, or adaptive recovery (after decline) to, high levels of ability and motivation to continue working among older workers. We also argue that proactive efforts to maintain, or adaptive efforts to recover and restore, high ability and motivation to continue working result from a self-regulation process that involves goal engagement and disengagement strategies to maintain, adjust, and restore person–environment fit. Further, we propose that at various levels (i.e., person, job, work group, organization, and society) more distal factors function as antecedents of this self-regulation process, with age-related bias and discrimination potentially operating at each level. Finally, we offer a roadmap for future research and practical applications.

Neurocognitive impairments commonly occur and adversely impact everyday functioning in older adults infected with HIV, but little is known about successful cognitive aging (SCA) and its health-related quality of life (HRQoL) correlates. Seventy younger (≤40 years) and 107 older (≥50 years) HIV+ adults, as well as age-matched seronegative comparison groups of younger ( N  = 48) and older ( N  = 77) subjects completed a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological, psychiatric, medical, and HRQoL assessments. SCA was operationalized as the absence of both performance-based neurocognitive deficits and self-reported symptoms (SCA-ANDS) as determined by published normative standards. A stair-step decline in SCA-ANDS was observed in accordance with increasing age and HIV serostatus, with the lowest rates of SCA-ANDS found in the older HIV+ group (19 %). In both younger and older HIV+ adults, SCA-ANDS was strongly related to better mental HRQoL. HIV infection has additive adverse effects on SCA, which may play a unique role in mental well-being among HIV-infected persons across the lifespan.

Background Successful aging is often linked to individual’s ability to demonstrate resilience: the maintenance or quick recovery of functional ability, well-being, and quality of life despite losses or adversity. A crucial element of resilience is behavioral adaptability, which refers to the adaptive changes in behavior in accordance with internal or external demands. Age-related degradation of executive functions can, however, lead to volition problems that compromise flexible adjustment of behavior. In contrast, the reliance on habitual control has been shown to remain relatively intact in later life and may therefore provide an expedient route to goal attainment among older adults. In the current study, we examine whether a metacognitive self-help intervention (MCSI), aimed at facilitating goal striving through the gradual automatization of efficient routines, could effectively support behavioral adaptability in favor of resilience among older adults with and without (sub-clinical) mental health problems. Methods This metacognitive strategy draws on principles from health and social psychology, as well as clinical psychology, and incorporates elements of established behavioral change and activation techniques from both fields. Additionally, the intervention will be tailored to personal needs and challenges, recognizing the significant diversity that exist among aging individuals. Discussion Despite some challenges that may limit the generalizability of the results, our MCSI program offers a promising means to empower older adults with tools and strategies to take control of their goals and challenges. This can promote autonomy and independent functioning, and thereby contribute to adaptability and resilience in later life. Trial registration Pre-registered, partly retrospectively. This study was pre-registered before the major part of the data was collected, created, and realized. Only a small part of the data of some participants (comprising the baseline and other pre-intervention measures), and the full dataset of the first few participants, was collected prior to registration, but it was not accessed yet. See: https://osf.io/5b9xz

Background Physical activity (PA) significantly impacts brain function and counteracts age-related changes in cognitive and motor abilities. Methods This pilot study delved into exploring the cognitive benefits of PA in older adults, focusing on their fluency abilities. We assessed verbal and graphic fluency in 45 older participants (mean age = 68.11 ± 3.34 years) using the Fluency Test (FAS) and modified Five-Points Test (m-FPT). They were divided into Active and Sedentary based on International Physical Activity Questionnaire cut-off scores. Results The results revealed significant findings regarding the relationship between PA level and executive functions. Generalized linear model analyses indicated that sedentary individuals exhibited poorer performance in the number of unique drawings, drawings performed with a cognitive strategy, and strategy index (ISs). Regarding gender differences, we found a significant positive prediction of verbal fluency abilities in males compared to females. However, no significant effects of gender were observed for the m-FPT. Conclusions These preliminary findings strengthen existing evidence highlighting PA’s beneficial impact on cognitive function in older adults. This study highlights a distinctive support for graphic abilities over verbal fluency due to PA, emphasizing a specific connection to cognitive efficacy. It also prompts consideration of graphic fluency as a possible marker for successful ageing.

Background Understanding the factors that influence successful weight control is critical for developing interventions. Purpose The purpose of the study was to provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of psychosocial, environmental, and behavioral variables in distinguishing weight-loss maintainers (WLM) from treatment-seeking obese (TSO). Methods WLM ( n  = 167) had lost ≥10% of their maximum body weight, had kept the weight off for ≥5 years, and were now of normal weight. TSO-1 and TSO-2 had a history of dieting and body mass index ≥25. TSO-1 was predominantly Caucasian; TSO-2 was predominantly African-American. Bayesian model averaging was used to identify the variables that distinguished WLM from TSO-1 and TSO-2. Results The variables that most consistently discriminated WLM from TSO were more physical activity (ORs = 3.95 and 2.85), more dietary restraint (ORs = 1.63 and 1.41), and less dietary disinhibition (ORs = 0.69 and 0.83). Environmental variables, including the availability of physical activity equipment, TVs, and high-fat foods in the home, also distinguished WLM from TSO. Conclusions Obesity treatment should focus on increasing conscious control over eating, engaging in physical activity, and reducing disinhibition. Changes in the home environment may help facilitate these behavioral changes.

According to psychological and popular opinion, older persons are especially susceptible to consumer fraud. Research on cognitive and affective aging reveals age-related changes that could increase the vulnerability of older persons to consumer fraud. However, this research does not show that consumer fraud actually is more prevalent among older persons. In generalizing from laboratory findings of cognitive decline to age differences in the prevalence of consumer fraud, psychologists may underestimate the influence in everyday life of possible protective factors associated with old age, including increased experience and changes in goals, lifestyle, income, as well as purchasing and risk behaviors. We review evidence on the prevalence of consumer fraud and conclude that there is no clear indication that it is more prevalent among older persons. Aggregating across all consumer frauds, there is evidence that consumer fraud is less common among older persons than adults of other ages. This evidence is potentially flawed, however, because of failings inherent in the methodologies. In the absence of irrefutable data, it is premature to conclude that consumer fraud is less prevalent among older adults, but it is also premature to conclude that consumer fraud is more prevalent among older persons, as is assumed in conventional and psychological wisdom.

Background Kinesiophobia and successful aging are key factors affecting quality of life in older adults; kinesiophobia, the fear of movement, can lead to reduced physical activity, while successful aging promotes overall well-being. Aim This study was conducted to examine the effect of kinesiophobia and successful aging on quality of life in the older adults. Method This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 451 older adults living in Erzurum between July and November 2024. R programming language 4.1.3, G*Power 3.1 and SPSS-22 program were used in the analysis of the study. Results In the study, the level of kinesiophobia explained 8.4% of the total variance of the quality of life level (R2 = 0.084). It was determined that an increase in the level of kinesiophobia (t=-6.406, p  < 0.001) caused a statistically significant decrease in the level of “quality of life”. Kinesiophobia level and successful aging levels together explain 52.4% (R2 = 0.524) of the total variance in quality of life level. It was determined that the increase in the level of successful aging of the participants (t=-2.854, p  < 0.001) caused a statistical increase in the level of “quality of life”. The SHAP values of the variables in the best-performing model were examined. According to the graph, successful aging is identified as the most important variable in predicting the quality of life variable. It was found that the successful aging variable has an effect that is 4.917 units higher compared to other variables. Conclusion In this study, it was found that quality of life decreased with increasing kinesiophobia, whereas quality of life increased with increasing level of successful aging. Longitudinal studies on quality of life in the elderly are recommended.

This article explicates the factors promoting successful aging and greater psychological wellbeing in the last course of human life. We explored self-compassion, successful aging and wellbeing outcomes in 264 individuals aged 60–96 years (M = 70) residing in Turkey. The major finding of the study is that self-compassion, resilience, perceived psychological and physiological health and age predicted successful aging. The results of the path analysis showed that self-compassion and resilience mediated the effect of attitude towards aging and satisfaction with life on successful aging. The implications of the study are beneficial to policy makers, social work practitioners, clinicians and researchers creating preventative measures and long term solutions.