Exploring the Commonalities Between Adaptive Resources and Self-Enhancement in Older Adults' Comparative Judgments of Physical Activity

Objective: This study examines the extent to which optimism, control beliefs and motivation, and downward social comparison contribute independently to the maintenance of older adults' positive self-evaluations in a functional domain. Method: Adaptive resources/strategies and life satisfaction were measured in personal interviews with 164 community-dwelling older adults. Participants judged their physical activity compared with the average person of their age and wore an accelerometer for 24 hours. Commonality analysis was used to estimate unique versus shared effects of the resource/strategy variables on a residual measure of self-enhancement, obtained by adjusting the comparative judgments for participants' age and objectively measured physical activity. Results: Self-enhancement was positively related to life satisfaction. Perceived control and optimism had shared positive effects on self-enhancement, whereas downward social comparison had a unique positive effect. Discussion: Self-enhancement of physical activity plays a part in at least two adaptive profiles with implications for older adults' well-being and health.