Gabrielle Nicole Pfund

The current work uses ecological momentary assessment data in an age and cognitively diverse group of adults to explore if, when, and why individuals feel purposeful in daily life. Seven times per day for 9 days, young adults (age: M = 27.36; 51.4% men, 47.1% women, 1.4% additional gender; 7.0% Asian/Asian American, 28.6% as Black/African American, 1.4% as Indigenous, 5.7% as Latine/Hispanic, 1.4% Middle Eastern, 58.6% White/European American), older adults without cognitive impairment (age: M = 75.18; 32.6% men, 67.4% women; 23.6% Black/African American, 1.1% Latine/Hispanic, 74.2% White/European American), and older adults with mild cognitive impairment (age: M = 76.97; 50.0% identified as men, 50.0% as women; 31.7% identified as Black/African American, 65.0% White/European American) reported their current sense of purpose and their current activity (N = 219). On average, older adults had higher momentary sense of purpose and less variability in momentary sense of purpose than young adults regardless of cognitive status. Across age and cognitive status groups, individuals felt more purposeful when they were at work/school, engaged in physical activity, volunteering, doing errands/chores, or doing a hobby, and felt less purposeful when they were engaged with media/TV/internet. Individuals often felt more purposeful when they had recently engaged in a social interaction, especially when that social interaction was pleasant and not uncomfortable. Interactions with coworkers were associated with a higher sense of purpose across all groups, though face-to-face interactions versus other interactions (e.g., phone calls, video calls) were not differentially related to momentary sense of purpose. Findings highlight activities that individuals may engage in to bolster their sense of purpose across development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objectives: Sense of purpose, a component of psychological well-being, has been consistently associated with higher cognitive function and less cognitive decline. However, less is known about associations between the other 5 components of psychological well-being and cognitive outcomes. To address this gap, the current research examined which components of psychological well-being are most strongly associated with cognitive function. Methods: A total of 3,742 participants from the Midlife in the United States study were included in analyses (MAge = 56.04, SD = 12.26). Participants completed the Ryff Psychological Well-being Scales (1989) and the Brief Test of Adult Cognition. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine cross-sectional and prospective associations between psychological well-being components and cognitive function. Results: All 6 components of psychological well-being were significantly and positively associated with cognition cross-sectionally (βs = 0.07–0.19), with personal growth and sense of purpose being most strongly associated with cognitive function. Moreover, higher levels of sense of purpose, personal growth, environmental mastery, and self-acceptance were associated with better cognitive function at the 9-year follow-up when controlling for baseline cognitive function (β = 0.03–0.05). No significant differences in the strength of associations across psychological well-being components emerged prospectively. Discussion: These findings extend past research by demonstrating that, in addition to a sense of purpose, other components of psychological well-being, especially personal growth, are also associated with cognitive function. These well-being components should be assessed as possible protective factors for cognitive function across the lifespan.

This review summarizes the current state of the state purpose literature. I begin this article by describing what purpose is and the benefits of having a higher sense of purpose, setting the stage for why researchers are interested in bolstering purpose for individuals. Through the lens of the intervention‐oriented Purpose As a Trait, Habit, and State (PATHS) model, I dive into the literature by describing different perspectives of the commonly studied trait purpose, which often represents either (a) one’s stabler, more consistent aims and life direction, or (b) how high or low one's sense of purpose is. To guide intervention efforts, I recommend taking a three‐factor approach when conceptualizing trait purpose in life: purpose scope, strength, and awareness. Working down the levels of the PATHS model, I introduce the theoretically‐derived habit purpose, which reflects narrower and more automatic purposeful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Using habit purpose as a bridge, the bulk of the current review considers the status of the literature on state purpose (i.e., one's short‐term, ephemeral levels of purpose), summarizing differences in within‐person variability tied to state purpose measurement, intensive longitudinal design approaches, and lifespan developmental‐based changes. Finally, I summarize what we currently know regarding potential mechanisms for within‐person fluctuations of state purpose (e.g., physical activity, positive social interactions, social media use), while emphasizing the individual differences in these associations. By understanding the patterns and nuances of purpose in daily life, we are one step closer to creating individualized, bottom‐up purpose interventions.

To better understand age-related processes tied to well-being, the current work explores how fluctuations in well-being in daily life differ based on age and various well-being domains. Additionally, this research investigates whether the magnitude of concurrent within-person changes in well-being domains varies based on age. Accordingly, the present study called upon daily diary data from two age-diverse samples: a young adult sample (N = 144; age: M = 19.56, SD = 2.09, range = 17-28) and older adult sample (N = 81; age: M = 69.04, SD = 9.06, range = 55-94). Mixed effect location scale models suggested that older adults on average scored higher than young adults on daily self-acceptance, engagement, sense of purpose, autonomy, competence, personal growth, relatedness, vitality, and positive affect; scored lower on negative affect; and did not score differently on life satisfaction. Meanwhile, young adults experienced more daily within-person variability in all 11 well-being domains. Finally, multigroup, multilevel structural equation models showed that, at the between-person level, negative affect was more strongly tied to other well-being domains in young adults, while positive affect and vitality were more strongly tied to other well-being domains in older adults. At the within-person level, changes in one daily well-being domain were more strongly associated with changes in another 65% of the time for young adults and 33% of the time for older adults. The present study highlights differences in daily well-being processes tied to age and the larger role that daily events and experiences may play in shaping the short-term experiences of well-being in young adults' daily lives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objectives: As medical interventions for cognitive decline and dementia continue to evolve, the identification of modifiable psychosocial factors has become increasingly important. Sense of purpose and loneliness represent potential targets for intervention. In this study, we aimed to understand the potentially reciprocal relationship between sense of purpose, loneliness, and cognitive function. Methods: The current project draws upon data from the Memory and Aging Project and Minority and Aging Research Study led by the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, 2 longitudinal cohort studies of 3,118 older adults (Mage=78.4 years; 75% female; 31% Black) without dementia at enrollment. Participants completed annual assessments of cognitive function and completed self-report measures on sense of purpose and loneliness every year for up to 12 years. Using trivariate random intercept cross-lagged panel models, we examined between-person, prospective within-person, and concurrent within-person associations among sense of purpose, loneliness, and cognitive function. Results: At the between-person level, a higher sense of purpose and lower loneliness were associated with better cognitive function. At the prospective within-person level, decreases in sense of purpose and increases in loneliness predicted subsequent cognitive decline, independent of ApoE genotype, race, sex, education, depressive symptoms, and social activity. Discussion: Changes in both sense of purpose and loneliness independently predicted cognitive decline in older adults, suggesting these constructs are unique targets for potential interventions to promote cognitive health.

The current study examined bidirectional relationships between well-being and cognitive function using up to 10 annual assessments ( M = 5.67, SD = 3.43) of different types of well-being and a comprehensive cognitive battery from a sample of older adults living in the Chicago metropolitan area ( N = 1,702; mean age = 81.07 years, SD = 8.04; 75.1% White Americans, 23.9% Black Americans). Bivariate latent growth curve models indicated older adults who started out with better well-being also had better cognitive function, and sharper decreases in well-being were associated with sharper declines in cognitive function. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models indicated older adults with better well-being on average had better cognitive function on average. Further, well-being change at one time point predicted subsequent cognitive change and vice versa. These findings were stronger for eudaimonic well-being and sense of purpose than for life satisfaction. Findings highlight the role of well-being in the goal to combat cognitive decline, as well as the importance of supporting well-being in individuals experiencing cognitive decline.