Does Neurocognition Predict Subjective Well-Being?

Abstract

Greater subjective well-being (SWB) is associated with a myriad of positive outcomes across adulthood. While several studies have demonstrated a relationship between cognition and SWB, the current study extends previous work by examining the relationship between neurocognition and SWB across age and time. Data were drawn from 3,856 individuals between the ages of 18-99 years who participated in the Virginia Cognitive Aging Project, a prospective study of cognition in community dwelling adults. Participants completed a battery of neurocognitive tasks (assessing spatial visualization, episodic memory, reasoning, processing speed, and vocabulary) and measures assessing SWB (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect). Results indicated that spatial visualization, episodic memory, and processing speed predicted life satisfaction only in specific age groups, but the magnitude of the coefficients were not significantly different between the groups, providing limited evidence of age moderation. Vocabulary was negatively associated with positive affect for all age groups. The temporal relationships between neurocognition and SWB were generally non-significant, and age did not moderate this relationship. Within the broader context of neurocognition, this study provides evidence that the relationship between neurocognition and SWB cross-sectionally may be partially age dependent for one facet of SWB, and the temporal relationship may be minimal.