Abstract
Subjective wellbeing (SWB) has been widely accepted as one of the most important elements of successful ageing. The present study explores the impact of two well-established correlates of SWB: physical activity and personality. Physical activity and each of the Big Five personality traits are consistent predictors of SWB, but there has been little research on whether certain personality traits enhance or hinder the psychological benefits of physical activity in older adults. This study examines the interactions of leisure-time physical activity and personality traits on SWB, and whether such interactions vary between older adults in Hong Kong (HK) and older adults in the United Kingdom (UK). Altogether, 349 participants (178 HK, 171 UK; 157 males, 192 female) aged 50 years or above (mean age = 61.84 ± 8.46 years old) completed an online assessment of: (1) leisure-time physical activity (Godin–Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire); (2) personality traits (Big Five Inventory); and (3) SWB (Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). Results showed that agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, and physical activity were all significantly related to SWB in the expected direction. The relationship between physical activity and SWB was moderated by extraversion and by openness to experience: higher levels of these two traits significantly enhanced the relationship. None of the interactions varied between the HK and UK samples. The expected negative relationship between neuroticism and SWB, however, was significantly stronger in the UK sample than in the HK sample. The findings of the present study indicate that personality needs to be considered when promoting and providing physical activity for older adults, although more research is needed to further explore how this can work effectively.
Highlights
Subjective wellbeing (SWB) is defined as “a person’s cognitive and affective evaluations of his or her life” [1] (p. 63)
The present study examined the primary research question of whether two well-established predictors of SWB, namely, leisure-time physical activity and personality traits, interact with each other to influence the SWB of older adults
Neuroticism was the only personality trait that was negatively related to SWB
Summary
Subjective wellbeing (SWB) is defined as “a person’s cognitive and affective evaluations of his or her life” [1] (p. 63). Subjective wellbeing (SWB) is defined as “a person’s cognitive and affective evaluations of his or her life” [1] The cognitive side usually refers to one’s judgments regarding life satisfaction and fulfilment, whereas the affective side typically refers to one’s emotions, moods, and feelings [1]. Improving older adults’ SWB can potentially contribute to a longer and healthier life [2,3,4,5,6]. The present study examined the primary research question of whether two well-established predictors of SWB, namely, leisure-time physical activity and personality traits, interact with each other to influence the SWB of older adults. A secondary research question examined whether such interactions varied between participants in Hong Kong (HK) and those in the United Kingdom (UK). The age of 50 is often used by health organisations as the age cut-off for physical activity programmes aimed at older adults [7], so we follow this criterion here
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