Category: Recent Findings from the MIDUS Study

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. In Western societies, some women find the transition to menopause emotionally difficult, given the cultural importance placed on a woman’s …

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 engagement, which include: Also included are possible ways to nourish your own sense of purpose. The full article linked below …

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 whether having a purpose in life helps those who suffered childhood maltreatment avoid later depression. Having a sense of purpose …

Research has shown that recessions can have negative consequences on mental health. However, few studies have looked at how personal beliefs can affect this relationship. This MIDUS study compared the mental health of participants before and after the Great Recession, which began in 2007 and was marked by a housing crisis, plummeting stock markets, and …

This MIDUS study looked at whether exercise helps reduce the likelihood of becoming disabled among those who develop multiple chronic conditions over a twenty-year period. Results showed that: However, the protective effect of exercise varied by age: This study suggests that interventions to help adults in midlife maintain physical activity levels can limit later life …

Prior research has shown that some cognitive (thinking) skills tend to decline as people get older, although there is a lot of variability in rate of decline. Evidence suggests that those who retire are at risk of steeper declines because they are no longer exposed to the stimulating environments found at work. Jobs can keep …