"Nearly half (46%) reported lacking a fundamental sense of purpose, wholeness, and connection—what researchers call “fulfillment”—despite living in an era of longer life expectancy and medical advancement."
"The research, published by CenterWell, the health care services arm of Humana, tracked participants between 2023 and 2025, making it one of the largest longitudinal studies of emotional well-being in older adults to date."
"Peltzman's research points to something deeper than pandemic disruption: trust in institutions—government, medicine, education, and media—collapsed simultaneously and has yet to rebound. That erosion matters for fulfillment in a direct way. Social engagement, community involvement, and faith in the structures that organize daily life are among the study's core predictors of whether an older adult feels their life has meaning—and all of them depend, at least in part, on trust."
"The new research challenges a long-held assumption in medicine that physical health is the primary barometer of how well someone is aging. Religion also emerged as a significant dividing line: Older adults who described themselves as religious were notably more likely to feel fulfilled than their non-religious peers-a"
A study of more than 6,600 adults ages 62 and older found nearly half reported lacking fulfillment, defined as purpose, wholeness, and connection. Participants were tracked between 2023 and 2025, making the research one of the largest longitudinal studies of emotional well-being in older adults. The results align with broader declines in self-reported happiness, including a sharp drop around 2020. The fulfillment measure relied on a single question: feeling very fulfilled. The findings suggest that erosion of trust in institutions affects fulfillment directly. Social engagement, community involvement, and faith in organizing structures predict whether older adults feel meaning. Religion also correlated with higher fulfillment, challenging assumptions that physical health alone determines aging well.
#older-adults #emotional-well-being #fulfillment-and-purpose #trust-in-institutions #religion-and-health
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