Adulthood Overheads

1. Adulthood Overheads Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D.

2. T cells and B cells • What happens as we age? • Thymus becomes smaller and less able to turn the immature T cells produced by the bone marrow into fully adult cells. • Result: our protective mechanisms work less efficiently. • Adults produce fewer antibodies than do children or teenagers.

3. Primary or Secondary aging? • Not sure if this is primary / secondary aging. • Changes in the immune system found in healthy adults make it look like primary aging. • But…growing evidence…. Functioning of the immune system is highly responsive to psychological stress and depression • College students – show lower levels of one variety of T cells (natural killer T cells) during exams.

4. T cells and B cells • Adults recently widowed – sharp drop in immune system functioning • The role of chronic stress • Many stressors over a period of years makes our immune system become less and less efficient. • Therefore, normal aging may just be a response to cumulative stress.

5. Argument • Therefore, if this is the case – that the immune system functioning is directly related to cumulative stress…. • We would expect: • Those with high levels of stress to have high rates of disease • Those who have higher levels of stress, should “age” faster and have higher death rates.

6. What does the research show? • There are age differences in health and death rates. • Less than 2% of young adults / thousand die each year. • 65-75 rate is 15x higher • Health varies from one social class to another • Those in the lowest social class ages 35-44 reported 4x the number of chronic health conditions.

7. Why the differences? • Health habits • Smoking • Drinking • Life stresses, e.g. chronic stresses like financial trouble and life changes such as losing a job, divorce, moving, etc. • James et. Al. (1992) working class adults – White and Black Americans – had poorer health habits, higher levels of stress. • Upper class adults – clear health advantage.

8. Mental Health Problems • Optimal health found in young adulthood except for mental health problems • Developed countries – 25-44 highest rate of emotional disturbance • Why? • Young adulthood greatest expectations • Greatest role conflict and role strain

9. Cognitive Functioning • Peak early adulthood • IQ peaks at about 30 and steadily declines thereafter • Werner Schaie – Seattle longitudinal study • 25-67 • Retested every 7 years • Looked at IQ changes over the life span • Overall intelligence test scores rise in early adulthood, remain constant until 60, decline • IQ remains fairly stable throughout adulthood.

10. Cognitive Functioning • Cattel and Horn’s Intelligences • Crystallized intelligence – education and experience • Fluid intelligence – “basic” abilities • Schaie: adults maintain crystallized intelligence throughout early/ middle adulthood. • Fluid abilities decline fairly steadily over adulthood, beginning between 35 and 40

11. Memory • Maintenance of memory • Some decline during middle adulthood • Greater decline in late adulthood • Trend • STM measures – drops with age • Age differences in LTM greater • Both encoding and retrieval more impaired in older adults vs. early adults

12. Social Support • The role of social support • Lower risk of disease • Death • Depression • Adequacy of social support matters • Judith Rodin (1990) perceived control • Bandura • Rotter • Studies coming out of Finland • Seligman – learned helplessness; learned optimism

13. Grant Study • 35 year Grant Study • Group of Harvard men • First interviewed during their freshman year (1938-1940) • Used interview data to determine degree of pessimism • Later physical health from 30 to 60 was rated by physicians. • Pessimism was not related to health at 30, 35, 40; but at every assessment between 45-60.

14. Grant Study • Those who were pessimistic at 25 had significantly poorer health after 45

15. What if we improve control? • Rodin and Langer • Mortality rates of nursing home residents

16. Love – American Style • Finding a partner • Erik Erikson – intimacy vs. isolation • Intimacy – the ability to fuse your identity with someone else’s without fear that you’re going to lose something yourself • The role of attraction • Murstein – at first – external characteristics • Then match for atitudes and beliefs • Same expectations • Sexual compatibility?

17. Love • The role of similarity • The role of assortive mating • South • National sample 2000 unmarried adults • Women marry up • Men marry down • What do they care about?

18. Love and attachment • The role of attachment • Cindy Hazan and Philip Shaver • 600 adults • 56% - secure • 25% - avoidant • 19% - anxious or ambivalent • Very similar to research stats on children’s attachment percentages

19. Sternberg • Intimacy • Passion • commitment

20. Ted Huston • How marriages change • 168 couples • First marriage • Each partner interviewed at length • Early months versus later months

21. Good vs. bad marriages • Skills, resources, traits • Couples with better resources • Gottman (1994) • Validating • Volatile • Avoidant • Hostile/engaged • Hostile/detached

22. Cohabitation? Does it help? • Bumpass and Sweet • Cohabitation rates • Why cohabitate? Assumption (Sternberg) • Results • DeMaris and Leslie • Homosexual partners • The role of parenthood on marriage