Experience and well-being: Explorations on domains of life and how they matter

The guiding question was how past life experiences are linked with adults' assessments of their present and future well-being. Typical events and transitions (normative experiences) were contrasted with atypical stresses (non-normative experiences). A sample of 308 men and women, divided between young, midlife, and older adults, completed past life event inventories and rated themselves on multiple dimensions of well-being (concurrently and prospectively). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that normative events were significant predictors of multiple aspects of present and future wellness, but there were marked age differences in which domains were key influences: For young adults, life activities were primary; for midlife adults, greatest variance was explained by the family and friends domain; in late life, prior work and educational experiences were strongest predictors of well-being. Non-normative events were significant positive predictors of only personal growth in young adults.