Journal of Applied Gerontology· 2026Q1
Purpose in Life Among Older Adults: A Machine Learning Analysis of Potential Predictors
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- 2026year
Short summary
Self-esteem and positive affect are the strongest predictors of purpose in life among older adults, according to an analysis of 47 variables using XGBoost on a US nationally representative sample.
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Key points
- Self-esteem was the strongest predictor of purpose in life among older adults, followed by positive affect.
- XGBoost machine learning model analyzed 47 psychological, social, and demographic predictors in a US nationally representative sample.
- Key predictors fall into six domains: adaptive self-related beliefs, affective well-being, perceived control, optimism, social engagement, and spirituality/religiosity.
- Demographic variables were generally less predictive of purpose in life compared to psychological factors.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
A sense of purpose is a central component of mental well-being in older adulthood. Although many predictors of purpose have been identified, most studies have considered a limited set, leaving their relative importance unclear. The present study addressed this gap by examining a large set of psychological, social, and demographic variables in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults from the Health and Retirement Study. Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) was used to evaluate 47 predictors. Self-esteem emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by positive affect. The leading predictors were organized into six domains: adaptive self-related beliefs, affective well-being, perceived control, optimism, social engagement, and spirituality/religiosity. Demographic variables were less predictive overall. These findings indicate that individual differences in purpose are associated with a broad set of psychological resources involving self-regulation, interpersonal processes, optimism, and positive affect.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Neuropsychology and Physiological PsychologyPsychology