The Benefits of a Negative Outlook on the Future

By Richard Shank

Older adults often assume that things will gradually get worse for them in terms of their physical functioning and health. As a consequence, long-term care advocates, health services researchers, and practitioners have long sought to foster a more optimistic outlook on aging. But a new study examined whether having negative expectations of the future impacted psychological well-being in a positive way.

Researchers surveyed 200 adults ages 60 and older and asked them to rate their future selves in terms of their physical and social expectations at two time points over 12 months. The researchers found that individuals who underestimated their future selves had higher well-being 12 months later than those who overestimated their selves.

These findings indicate that individuals who are able to make realistic, and even overly negative, estimates of their future declines in health and wellness were more satisfied with themselves than those who overestimated their future physical and social functioning.

Long-term care practitioners and researchers need to account for the temporal nature of older adult expectations of the future and balance them with the well-known changes associated with aging. Unrealistic expectations of the future will lead to disappointment and have a significantly negative impact on psychological well-being.

Source: Cheng, S. Chan, A., Fung, H. 2009. Self-perception and psychological well-being: The benefits of foreseeing a worse future. Psychology and Aging 24(3): 632-633.

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