Baby Boomers' subjective life course and its physical health effects: how distinctive is the "forever young" cohort?

Abstract

We consider members of the "forever young" cohort's negotiation of aging by examining how shifts in their views of the life course and their location in it influence their physical health. Using OLS regression (Midlife in the United States, 1995-1996 and 2004-2006; n = 1,257), we compare Early and Late Baby Boomers' subjective life course, measured as age identity and timing of middle age, and its physical health effects with those of an earlier cohort, the Lucky Few. Contrary to expectations, the earlier cohort not only held more elongated conceptions of the life course at Wave 1 but also lengthened them more between waves than did Baby Boomers. Results also failed to support the notion of youthful conceptions having stronger health consequences for Baby Boomers. Examining more cohorts over longer timespans would illuminate how developmental aging processes intersect with sociohistorical contexts to shape the subjective life course and its health consequences.