Happy childhood memories linked to better health later in life
Kaitlin Luna
November 5, 2018
“People who have fond memories of childhood, specifically their relationships with their parents, tend to have better health, less depression and fewer chronic illnesses as older adults, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
‘We know that memory plays a huge part in how we make sense of the world–how we organize our past experiences and how we judge how we should act in the future. As a result, there are a lot of different ways that our memories of the past can guide us,’ said William J. Chopik, PhD, from Michigan State University and lead author of the study. ‘We found that good memories seem to have a positive effect on health and well-being, possibly through the ways that they reduce stress or help us maintain healthy choices in life.’
The findings were published in the journal Health Psychology.
Previous research has shown a positive relationship between good memories and good health in young adults, including higher quality of work and personal relationships, lower substance use, lower depression and fewer health problems, according to Chopik. He and his co-author, Robin Edelstein, PhD, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, wanted to see how this would apply to older adults.”
Continue reading this story by selecting the title link, featuring BioSocial Methods member Robin Edelstein.