Soft skills and their relationship with life satisfaction and cognitive reserve in adulthood and older age

Tommaso Feraco (), Nicole Casali (), Elena Carbone, Chiara Meneghetti, Erika Borella, Barbara Carretti and Veronica Muffato
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Tommaso Feraco: University of Padova
Nicole Casali: Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law
Elena Carbone: University of Padova
Chiara Meneghetti: University of Padova
Erika Borella: University of Padova
Barbara Carretti: University of Padova
Veronica Muffato: University of Padova

European Journal of Ageing, 2024, vol. 21, issue 1, No 25, 10 pages

Abstract: Abstract Soft skills are key factors for success in multiple contexts of daily life, as well as for life satisfaction, but little is known about their role in late adulthood and older age. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationships of soft skills, as defined by the World Economic Forum, with two indicators of successful/healthy aging: life satisfaction and cognitive reserve. A sample of 435 adults aged 50 and over completed self-reported measures of soft skills, life satisfaction, and cognitive reserve. As control, fluid (reasoning) and crystalized (vocabulary) intelligence were assessed too, along with socio-demographic characteristics. A series of regression analyses showed that soft skills were positively related to both life satisfaction and, to a lower extent, cognitive reserve, above and beyond gender, age, and both fluid and crystallized intelligence. Interestingly, these associations were independent from participants’ age. Overall, these results highlight the importance of considering soft skills also over the middle-late adult life course, due to the potential role of these individual qualities in supporting an individual’s well-being and an active and engaged lifestyle, with implications for the promotion of a healthy aging.

Keywords: Twenty-first century skills; Soft skills; Cognitive reserve; Life satisfaction; Aging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10433-024-00820-2

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