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Subjective age is a reliable marker of aging processes beyond chronological age. Feeling older that actual age is associated with poorer health and increased mortality. Using the national longitudinal MIDUS data (waves 2 and 3), the goal of this study was to examine whether subjective age accounted for specific health behaviors, such as vigorous physical activity, social engagement, seeing health professionals, and medication use. An additional outcome was control beliefs, a prominent predictor of healthy aging. At baseline, MIDUS 2 participants (N=3,398, aged 34–84, M=55.34, SD=12.09) estimated what age they felt most of the time. Subjective age was operationalized as the proportional discrepancy between felt and chronological age. The outcomes were MIDUS 2 health behaviors and control beliefs as well as their MIDUS 3 levels adjusted for baseline. Cross-sectionally, irrespective of sex, education, physical health, negative affect, and chronological age, feeling older was significantly associated with lower frequency of physical activities, higher likelihood of seeking social support, fewer hours of volunteering, and lower control beliefs. Additional results indicated that physical activity and control beliefs mediated the association between subjective age and physical health. Longitudinally, subjective age significantly predicted MIDUS 3 physical activity, control beliefs, and number of medical visits, while adjusting for their MIDUS 2 levels. Feeling older was associated with lower physical activity, lower control beliefs, and an increased number of medical visits about 10 years later. Thus, subjective age emerges as an important source of variance to be considered when examining predictors of lifestyle choices and designing interventions.

Some key aspects of cognitive performance begin to decline in middle age. Emerging evidence indicates midlife cognitive functioning may hold clues about cognitive impairment and neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study provides an opportunity to explore antecedents and consequences of cognitive health. Cognitive performance was measured with the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT). Psychosocial and behavioral factors identified as protective for cognitive functioning are considered. These findings provide evidence of factors that can reduce or delay cognitive declines and attenuate social disparities in cognitive aging. The relationship between cognition and physical health is also considered. Cognitive abilities are examined as a resource with implications for subjective age and resilience in the face of adversity and challenge (e.g., stress). Next steps include charting trajectories of cognitive aging and identifying patterns and mechanisms that lead to optimal functioning in later life.

There is evidence that more recent birth cohorts show better cognitive performance than earlier ones. Our goal was to use data from two representative samples in the MIDUS national study in order to examine possible sources of cohort differences for multiple cognitive tests on the BTACT (Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone). Two samples of the same age range were tested, on average, 8 years apart. The first sample (N = 3,929; age range: 32 to 76, M = 54.38, SD =11.02) was assessed between 2004 and 2006 (participants born between 1928 and 1974). Participants from the second sample (N = 2,512, age range 32 to 76, M = 54.48, SD =12.71) were tested between 2010 and 2014 (born between 1934 and 1982). Consistent with past research, significant cohort differences were obtained using a time-lag design on the majority of the BTACT tests. In addition, our results revealed stronger cohort effects in older age groups. Older individuals from the more recent birth cohorts showed better cognitive performance than those of the same age from the earlier cohorts. On average, the more recent cohorts were also characterized by higher levels of education, better functional and self-rated health, and also by a greater frequency of physical and cognitive activity. We will consider the role of increases in health-promoting behaviors such as an active and engaged lifestyle in addressing the mechanisms involved in cohort shifts in cognitive performance.

Work and retirement are complex processes with important implications for emotional, physical, and cognitive health. Studies tapping into the relationship between work, retirement and health often use different perspectives aiming at measuring similar outcomes. While some studies investigate these relationships from the perspective of the worker/retiree, other studies focus on organizational level predictors, or suggest that national policy has an imminent effect on workers’ and retirees’ health. Our goal is to allow a better understanding of the interplay between work, retirement and the three facets of health (that is – physical, emotional and cognitive), studied from varied perspectives: macro/national policy level, meso/organizational level, and micro/individual level. This symposium integrates four presentations followed by a discussion. Starting with a macro-meso perspective, Sarah Vickerstaff will present her work examining how employers manage their employees’ health, and how recent national policy affects employees’ health-related behaviors. From a meso-micro perspective, Florian Kunz and colleagues will present their findings regarding the effects of organizational age diversity and subjective age on employees’ psychological health. Focusing on the individual-micro level, Grotz and Adam will present their work about the effect of retirement and adjustment processes on cognitive health, and Segel-Karpas and Agrigoroaei will discuss the effect of work to family spillover on physical health and the moderating role of personality. Hannes Zacher, who is well known for his work on older workers and the transition to retirement, will discuss the different presentations offering his broader perspective on the issues of work, retirement, and health.

This study examined the joint protective contribution of psychosocial and behavioral factors to cognitive functioning and 10-year change, beyond the influence of sociodemographic factors, physical risk factors, health status, and engagement in cognitive activities. Participants were from the National Study of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), ages 32-84 at Time 2, and a subsample, the Boston Longitudinal Study (BOLOS), ages 34-84 at Time 2. We computed a composite protective measure including control beliefs, quality of social support, and physical exercise variables at two occasions, 9-10 years apart. Cognition was assessed at Time 2 in MIDUS and at both occasions in BOLOS. Multiple regressions were used for analysis. In MIDUS, the more of the protective factors, the better the cognitive performance, and the protective composite moderated education differences in memory. In BOLOS, the Time 1 composite predicted change in reasoning abilities, with a greater protective effect for those with lower education. A combination of modifiable psychosocial and behavioral factors has both concurrent and long-term protective effects on cognition in adulthood. The results are promising in that educational disparities in memory and reasoning were reduced, suggesting possible interventions to protect against cognitive declines.