Carol D. Ryff

Carol D. Ryff starts with an overview of the state of the art in the field of aging studies and notes that—early and recent—formulations of successful aging in social gerontology ignore aspects of meaningful aging that are evident in developmental, existential, and humanistic approaches. She pleads for an integrative, multidisciplinary approach to aging that embraces humanistic ideas of meaning-making, lifelong growth and development, psychological and social aspects of aging, and the biomedical realities of growing old. At the core of this multidisciplinary approach is a model of eudaimonia emerging from existential, developmental, and humanistic conceptions of positive human functioning, along with distant philosophical insights from Aristotle. Ryff reflects on possible core ingredients for nurturing meaningful, growth-oriented aging and suggests that continuous learning and frequent encounters with the arts and …

Introduction A greater sense of purpose in life is associated with several health benefits relevant for active aging, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We evaluated if purpose in life was associated with indices of brain health. Methods We examined data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Neuroscience Project. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging data (n=138; mean age 65.2 years, age range 48-95; 80 females; 37 black, indigenous, and people of color) were used to estimate microstructural indices of brain health such as axonal density, and axonal orientation. The seven-item purpose in life scale was used. Permutation analysis of linear models was used to examine associations between purpose in life scores and the diffusion metrics in white matter and in the bilateral hippocampus, adjusting for age, sex, education, and race. Results and discussion Greater sense of purpose in life was associated with brain microstructural features consistent with better brain health. Positive associations were found in both white matter and the right hippocampus, where multiple convergent associations were detected. The hippocampus is a brain structure involved in learning and memory that is vulnerable to stress but retains the capacity to grow and adapt through old age. Our findings suggest pathways through which an enhanced sense of purpose in life may contribute to better brain health and promote healthy aging. Since purpose in life is known to decline with age, interventions and policy changes that facilitate a greater sense of purpose may extend and improve the brain health of individuals and thus improve public health.

The Emotional Well-Being and Economic Burden (EMOT-ECON) Research Network is one of six research networks funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance research about emotional well-being (EWB), and the only one that focuses on addressing how economic burden due to disease or illness affects EWB. The network convened researchers, patients, patient advocates, health care providers and other stakeholders from across the US to discuss the significance of addressing the impact of the economic burden of disease on EWB, the complexity of this prevalent problem for patients and families, and the research gaps that still need to be studied to ultimately develop strategies to reduce the impact of economic burden of disease on EWB and health. Participants identified some important future areas of research as those investigating: (i) prevalent and relevant emotions for patients experiencing economic burden of disease and financial hardship, and how their broader outlook on life is impacted; (ii) constructs and contexts that influence whether the economic burden is stressful; (iii) strategies to deal and cope and their positive or negative effects on EWB and health; and (iv) multi-level and multi-stakeholder interventions to address economic factors (e.g., costs, ability to pay), administrative burdens, education and training, and especially patients’ emotional as well as financial status.

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I dispute the characterization of psychological aspects of well-being as fragmented and a landscape of confusion in need of an organizing conceptual framework. After 30+ years of research in this area, I see progress toward a multi-faceted, ever more differentiated understanding of what well-being is. This richness reflects decades of painstaking empirical inquiry. I also challenge the view that emotion is the overarching theme of well-being research. Missing from the target article was much-needed emphasis on empirical assessment tools. A growing problem in contemporary research is the proliferation of thin, poorly validated measures, which should concern all of the newly funded Emotion Networks. I conclude with a call for greater emphasis on major historical challenges that are undermining the well-being and health of many.

The integrative science of wellbeing is covered in this chapter from the vantage point of a eudaimonic model developed more than three decades ago. In contrast to hedonic approaches that emphasise happiness and life satisfaction, eudaimonia is concerned with the realisation of personal potential and living meaningful and purposeful lives. The conceptual underpinnings of this approach are first described, followed by a brief look at its empirical measurement. Multiple topics have grown up around this model over time, such as how eudaimonia varies by age, gender, race, and educational status. Other studies have linked aspects of eudiamonic wellbeing to experiences in work and family life. Growing work has connected components of eudaimonia to health, defined not only as morbidity and mortality, but also in terms of biological risk factors. Further inquiries have linked eudaimonia to neuroscience and genetics. Lastly, whether eudaimonic wellbeing is modifiable has been the focus of numerous intervention studies. A selective look at these domains of inquiry is provided to reveal the varieties of progress made to date on the integrative science of eudaimonic wellbeing. The remainder of the chapter then shifts to targeted directions for future research. The first topic showcases increasingly widening inequalities that have been unfolding over recent decades, especially in the United States. These socioeconomic disparities have notable implications for wellbeing and health (see also Chapters 9 and 16, this volume). The urgency of this problem has been exacerbated by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and its economic sequelae (see also …

ObjectiveThis cross-sectional analysis examined self-reported economic hardships of the 2008 Great Recession, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and psychological well-being (PWB) as predictors of systemic inflammatory physiology at midlife. We also tested for differential vulnerability in the relationship between recession hardship and inflammatory physiology by race/ethnicity, education, and PWB.MethodsAdults from the Midlife in the United States Refresher sample completed a survey and biomedical assessments after the recession (n= 592 non-Hispanic White respondents, n= 158 Black/African American respondents, n= 108 respondents with other race/ethnicity). Cumulative recession hardship was the sum of financial, housing, and employment-related events. Outcomes included circulating levels of interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein. General linear regression models tested main effects interactions …

A growing literature makes clear there are many ways to be heroic. Short-term acts of heroism, often dramatic, are undeniably worthy of attention, but my emphasis is on enduring life pursuits that reveal qualities of heroism. This focus reflects a longstanding interest in the topic of psychological well-being–specifically a eudaimonic model developed several decades ago (Ryff 1989). After briefly distilling the literature on heroism, this chapter offers a distilled description of eudaimonia and explains why it matters. The chapter then probes various questions regarding the psychological profiles of heroes, such as whether high purposeful life engagement, a key aspect of eudaimonic wellbeing, constitutes a prerequisite for enduring heroic pursuit. Similarly, this chapter considers whether well-being offers a framework for distinguishing between major life endeavors that are virtuous (others oriented, compassionate) versus …