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Lu J, Zhang S, He G. How time orientation matters for happiness: The nonmonotonic relations featured with a middle valley. Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2023; 15:1656-1672. [PMID: 37243504 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Most previous studies have shown that focusing on the future predicts higher subjective well-being (SWB), but some have reported contradictory results. Due to mixed findings on the relationship between time orientation (TO) and SWB, the present study attempted to clarify and reinterpret this relationship from a nonmonotonic perspective by analyzing two large-scale datasets from the European Social Survey (Study 1; 31 countries, total N = 88,873) and tested the cross-cultural generalizability of our findings in a Chinese sample (Study 2; N = 797). The results confirmed a nonmonotonic relationship between TO and SWB and first revealed a "Middle Valley Effect." This effect demonstrated a decreased SWB at the midpoint of the TO scale, indicating that maintaining a dominant TO, whether present or future, rather than being torn between the two, could improve SWB. This nonmonotonic relationship resolves previous inconsistent findings and suggests that an appropriate clear TO can benefit SWB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Lu
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shunmin Zhang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guibing He
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Düzel S, Drewelies J, Polk SE, Misgeld C, Porst J, Wolfarth B, Kühn S, Brandmaier AM, Wenger E. No Evidence for a Boost in Psychosocial Functioning in Older Age After a 6-Months Physical Exercise Intervention. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:825454. [PMID: 35360285 PMCID: PMC8963719 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.825454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The beneficial effects of physical exercise on physical health and cognitive functioning have been repeatedly shown. However, evidence of its effect on psychosocial functioning in healthy adults is still scarce or inconclusive. One limitation of many studies examining this link is their reliance on correlational approaches or specific subpopulations, such as clinical populations. The present study investigated the effects of a physical exercise intervention on key factors of psychosocial functioning, specifically well-being, stress, loneliness, and future time perspective. We used data from healthy, previously sedentary older adults (N = 132) who participated in a 6-month at-home intervention, either engaging in aerobic exercise or as part of a control group who participated in foreign language-learning or reading of selected native-language literature. Before and after the intervention, comprehensive cardiovascular pulmonary testing and a psychosocial questionnaire were administered. The exercise group showed significantly increased fitness compared to the control group. Contrary to expectations, however, we did not find evidence for a beneficial effect of this fitness improvement on any of the four domains of psychosocial functioning we assessed. This may be due to pronounced stability of such psychological traits in older age, especially in older adults who show high levels of well-being initially. Alternatively, it may be that the well-documented beneficial effects of physical exercise on brain structure and function, as well as cognition differ markedly from beneficial effects on psychosocial functioning. While aerobic exercise may be the driving factor for the former, positive effects on the latter may only be invoked by other aspects of exercise, for example, experiences of mastery or a feeling of community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Düzel
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanna Drewelies
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sarah E. Polk
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE), Berlin, Germany
| | - Carola Misgeld
- Department of Sports Medicine, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanna Porst
- Department of Sports Medicine, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernd Wolfarth
- Department of Sports Medicine, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simone Kühn
- Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Neuronal Plasticity Working Group, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas M. Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Wenger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Elisabeth Wenger,
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Barber SJ, Strickland-Hughes CM. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FUTURE TIME PERSPECTIVE AND MEMORY CONTROL BELIEFS IN OLDER ADULTS. RESEARCH IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/15427609.2019.1635859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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