Greater Life Satisfaction, Dr. Boehm Study Published Worldwide

Greater life satisfaction in adults older than 50 years of age is found to be related to a reduced risk of morality. 
Dr. Julia Boehm
, Assistant Professor of Psychology for
Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences
, has gained worldwide media attention for recent
research findings
. The study, which is the first of its kind to consider how the effects of life satisfaction may be related to longevity, involved nearly 4,500 participants who were followed for up to nine years.



Over the course of the study, the researchers learned that as participants’ life satisfaction increased, the risk of mortality was reduced by 18 percent. By contrast, greater variability in life satisfaction was associated with a 20 percent increased risk of mortality. In combination, individuals with high levels of life satisfaction tended to have reduced risk of mortality regardless of how their life satisfaction varied over time.

The research, originally published in the journal
Psychological Science
, sparked interest worldwide and was published by numerous media outlets, including the
Association for Psychological Science
,
Science Daily
,
The Huffington Post
, and
Psych Central
. The research gained widespread attention in India and Italy, and appeared in articles published in various countries.

Congrats to Dr. Boehm and her research partners!