More to Blue Zones than long life
Positive psychological characteristics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20511396 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paul Kenneth Hitchcott (0000-0001-7386-3913, University of Cagliari), Maria Chiara Fastame (0000-0002-8188-5458, University of Cagliari, corresponding author), Maria Pietronilla Penna (0000-0002-0982-3893, University of Cagliari) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 3-4 |
| Pages | 163-181 |
| Publication date | 2018-05-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Health Risk & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1369-8575 • E-ISSN: 1469-8331 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13698575.2018.1496233 |
| OpenAlex | W2884465990 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 124 |
Blue Zones are defined as regions of exceptional longevity. Emerging evidence also indicates the presence of several positive psychological characteristics amongst older inhabitants. No synthesis of this information is currently available. The current article focuses on psychological characteristics of successful ageing, including perceived well-being and cognitive health. Relevant findings concerning the Sardinian Blue Zone are reviewed along with an evidence suggesting links to the distinctive sociocultural environment of this region. People aged 65+ living in the Sardinian Blue Zone have substantially lower levels of depressive symptomatology, higher levels of self-perceived well-being and better subjective and objective cognitive health relative to matched control samples. These differences are robust, reliable and persist throughout late adulthood. Important determinants of the positive traits include increased active engagement in community religious and leisure activities. Sparse evidence for other Blue Zones exists but reduced levels of depression may be a shared attribute. Older Blue Zone Sardinians possess positive psychological characteristics, which are associated with successful ageing and are known to promote longevity. Blue Zone populations appear to be a valuable, but overlooked, resource for the study of positive aspects of ageing
Cognition · Depressive symptoms · Longevity · Psychiatry · Sociocultural evolution · Sociology · Aging and Gerontology Research · Demography · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Gerontology
Culture and Subjective Well-Being
Psychological Well-Being Revisited
New Frontiers in the Future of Aging
Oops!'
Rowe and Kahn's Model of Successful Aging Revisited
Depression in the elderly
What is successful ageing and who should define it?
Dispositional optimism
Social Capital and Successful Aging
Operational definitions of successful aging
An active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life might protect against dementia
The absence of positive psychological (eudemonic) well-being as a risk factor for depression
Definitions and Predictors of Successful Aging
Measures of self-perceived well-being
Defining Successful Aging
Human Aging
Psychological Well-Being and Ill-Being
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory and the Regulation of Emotion in the Second Half of Life
Happy People Live Longer
Successful Aging as Management of Resources
Influences of socioeconomic status, social network, and competence on subjective well-being in later life
The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years
A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology.
The Satisfaction With Life Scale
The CES-D Scale
The Religion-Health Connection
Measurement and Control of Response Bias
Social desirability scales
Genetic Influences on Life Span and Its Relationship to Personality
Positive Psychological Well-Being and Mortality
Egoistic and Moralistic Biases in Self‐Perception
Influence of Social Desirability on Age Differences in Self-Reports of Mood and Personality
The construct validity of social desirability
Happiness unpacked
Life satisfaction and social desirability across the late life span
Leisure and Ageing Well
Leisure, Health and Well-Being
Active ageing
Psychological Predictors of Mortality in Old Age
A Two-Factor Model of Successful Aging
Strategy Use Mediates the Relationship Between Control Beliefs and Memory Performance for Middle-Aged and Older Adults
The Elderly in Rural Society
Variability in affective change among aging men
Change in Level of Positive Mental Health as a Predictor of Future Risk of Mental Illness
Positive emotions in early life and longevity
Response artifacts in the measurement of subjective well-being
The religion paradox
Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging
Impact of Major Depression and Subsyndromal Symptoms on Quality of Life and Attitudes Toward Aging in an International Sample of Older Adults
Cumulative biological risk and socio-economic differences in mortality
Successful Aging across the Years
Street Tactics
Social desirability in measures of subjective well-being
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |