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Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

Hard Work May Not Pay Off for Everyone

Posted on January 11, 2023

Meritocracy is the belief that success in life is based on personal effort—i.e., those with skill who work hard will be rewarded, with better jobs and higher incomes. This popular U.S. belief is a basic …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

How Do Neighborhood Safety Concerns Affect Daily Well-being?

Posted on August 11, 2022

Previous research has shown that people living in low-income neighborhoods are exposed to more stressors, such as crime, vandalism, pollution, and noise, which can be objectively measured, and have been linked to poor health. This …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

Wealth is Linked to Mortality (But Not as Much as Smoking)

Posted on May 10, 2022

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a measure of social status based on one’s level of poverty or wealth. SES has been associated with mortality in many studies. This MIDUS study looked at whether the different ways …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

The Health Effects of Social Media Use May Depend on Who’s Using It

Posted on November 17, 2021

Social media use (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.) has become a key part of American social life. Many report spending over two hours a day connecting with others on social media, which is more time than …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

Repeated Nights of Lost Sleep Linked to Poor Health & Well-being

Posted on September 22, 2021

Previous research has linked a single night of bad sleep to lower well-being, but multiple nights of inadequate sleep have only been studied in clinical settings where the amount of nightly sleep was manipulated by …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

Discrimination May Increase Problems with Chronic Pain

Posted on August 19, 2021

An estimated 70 million Americans suffer from chronic pain (not including pain caused by cancer). Although previous studies have shown links between discrimination and pain, they have not been studied extensively. One important unanswered question …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

Body Weight in Old Age May be Linked to Childhood Disadvantage

Posted on July 15, 2021

Studies have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the strongest predictors of body weight. Those whose families were economically disadvantaged in childhood (they had low SES) tend to be heavier in early adulthood …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

Women’s Feelings about Menopause Vary by Sexual Orientation

Posted on June 15, 2021

Research has shown that the experience of menopause varies from person to person and from culture to culture. For instance, in Japan, menopausal women seldom report hot flashes but instead commonly complain about shoulder stiffness. …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

The Health Benefits of Having a Purpose in Life

Posted on May 13, 2021

People with purpose have goals or beliefs that make their lives meaningful and worth living. Click the link below to read the MIDUS newsletter on the health benefits that have been associated with purposeful life …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

Purpose May Prevent Depression Among Those Who Were Mistreated as Children

Posted on January 6, 2021

Experiencing abuse or neglect in childhood is associated with a range of physical and emotional problems in adulthood. However, some appear to have psychological resources that help avoid these problems. This MIDUS study looked at …

Posted in Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study
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