Mindset matters: contributions from grit and growth mindsets to successful aging

OBJECTIVE: Though we all age, some age more successfully than others. Health and social connections have been identified as cornerstones to successful aging, yet the contributions from psychological factors are less clear. Our goal was to examine the influence of grit and growth mindset in successful aging in middle and older age. We also assessed whether grit or growth mindset mediated the lifestyle-successful aging relationship. METHOD: We used a telephone questionnaire to measure grit and growth mindset, successful aging, and lifestyle for 263 adults, ages 40-80 years. RESULTS: Higher grit-effort and growth mindset predicted more successful aging in younger (40-64 years) and older groups (65-80 years). Additionally, exercise frequency predicted successful aging for the combined sample and partially mediated the relationship between growth mindset and successful aging. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal grit-effort and a growth mindset as important contributors to successful aging in middle and older adulthood. Because psychological constructs are malleable, continued study of grit and growth mindsets is essential to enable their eventual application in changing the aging process.