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Health and energy outlook predict health outcomes 20 years later.

Morgan K. Taylor,M. Lachman

Published 2026 in Psychology and Aging

ABSTRACT

Research has shown that older adults who rate their health and energy more positively have better health outcomes. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship have not been formally tested, especially in a long-term longitudinal, full adult lifespan sample. We used data from the Midlife in the United States study to investigate whether outlooks regarding one's health and energy assessed at Wave 1 would be associated with health outcomes (health limitations, chronic conditions) 20 years later at Wave 3. At Wave 1, participants were asked to rate their past (10 years prior) and future (10 years hence) health and energy on a scale from 0 to 10. To determine outlook, we computed a difference score by subtracting participants' past rating from their future rating. We found that health and energy outlook was negatively associated with residual change in health at Wave 3, such that those with more positive outlooks experienced fewer increases in health limitations over time. Participant age and sex did not interact with this relationship, but education did, suggesting a positive health outlook may be more important for those with lower levels of education. Mediation analysis revealed that positive health behaviors (more frequent physical activity, less smoking) partially mediated the relationship between positive outlook and better health outcomes. Finally, a positive energy outlook was associated with a 6% decrease in mortality risk before accounting for baseline health. We discuss factors that appear to underlie the relationship between health/energy outlook and future health outcomes and consider implications for interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

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