Wellbeing increases after people reach their sixties, the UK’s longest running cohort study reveals today.
Latest research from the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) National Survey for Health and Development (NSHD), which itself celebrates its 70th anniversary this week, shows there is a rise in wellbeing throughout the seventh decade of life.
The MRC NSHD launched in March 1946 and is the oldest and longest-running birth cohort in the UK, with more than 3,000 study members who celebrate their milestone birthday this month.
New findings from the NSHD have shown a rise in wellbeing throughout the sixties.
Using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, participants were asked to rank a 14-item scale with five response categories covering topics such as feeling cheerful, confident, optimistic, useful and relaxed.
They were first asked between the ages of 60 and 64 and participants were asked again at age 69. The second response showed an improvement in all 14 items.
Researchers at the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing (LHA) at University College London will study what experiences and circumstances are linked to this increase.
Dr Mai Stafford, programme leader at the MRC LHA, said: “What we’ve found is that, on average, levels of wellbeing increased during people’s sixties.
"We found that one in five experienced a substantial increase in wellbeing in later life, although we also found a smaller group who experienced a substantial decline.
“The benefit of using a cohort study like NSHD is that we can look at how individuals change over time. We hope this will allow us to pinpoint which common experiences may be linked to an improvement in wellbeing in later life.”
The MRC invests taxpayers’ money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health and findings from this unique cohort have had a major contribution to healthcare, education and social policy for more than 50 years.
Professor Diana Kuh, who leads the MRC NSHD at the MRC LHA, said: “NSHD study members have been helping us for seven decades of their lives and we are grateful for their time and commitment to the study. Their contribution to our knowledge about human development and ageing is enormously valuable for science and policy.”
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