The relationship between epistemic curiosity and successful aging in older adults: the role of self-perceptions of aging and perceived social support.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey study (by design analogy)
PubMed 42057209 · doi:10.1186/s40359-026-04577-4
What was done
A cross-sectional questionnaire study investigated the relationship between epistemic curiosity and successful aging, testing self-perceptions of aging and perceived social support as parallel mediators. Researchers surveyed 338 older adults using the Epistemic Curiosity Questionnaire, the Successful Aging Inventory, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Brief Aging Perceptions Questionnaire, controlling for age, gender, and educational attainment.
What was found
The abstract reports directions of association without reporting exact numerical values, correlation coefficients, or p-values. Epistemic curiosity was significantly positively correlated with successful aging after adjusting for gender, age, and educational attainment. Self-perceptions of aging and perceived social support acted as parallel mediators, with self-perceptions of aging exerting a negative mediating role and perceived social support exerting a positive mediating role.
Why it matters
The study suggests that intellectual curiosity is linked to successful aging in older adults and identifies social support and self-perceptions of aging as potential psychological mechanisms.
Limits
The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or temporal direction. All data relied on self-report questionnaires, which carries risk of common-method bias. The abstract provides no exact numerical values, effect sizes, confidence intervals, or recruitment details.
Cited by
- supports Curiosity and actively seeking to learn new things benefits brain health and overall health.