Malleable Mindset of Aging Predicts Subjective Successful Aging Beyond Health Conditions and Control Beliefs Among Chinese Older Adults

Background: Successful aging—maintaining physical and cognitive function while avoiding illnesses and disability—has subjective and objective components. While previous research has focused primarily on factors influencing objective successful aging, factors contributing to subjective successful aging (SSA) have been less studied.

Objectives: This study aims to explore whether the malleable mindset of aging (MMA), the belief that the aging process is changeable, could potentially predict SSA. Specifically, we examine the additive predictive power of MMA on SSA after accounting for known antecedent influences, including demographic factors, health conditions, and control beliefs.

Methods: We recruited an online sample of 524 community-dwelling older adults (Mage = 61.4, SD = 4.4, age range 55-75) across nine provinces in China. Participants completed valid measures of MMA, SSA, health conditions, control beliefs, and demographic variables. Hierarchical linear regressions were used in the estimation.

Results: MMA demonstrated a significant positive relationship with SSA when controlling for control beliefs, diagnosed health conditions, physical functioning, pain levels, and demographic information.

Implications: Our findings provide evidence that higher MMA is associated with greater opportunities for SSA, even after controlling for control beliefs, health, and demographic variables. This suggests that MMA may play a crucial role in psychological well-being in late life. Future research should explore interventions targeting MMA to promote successful aging among older adults.