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Adulthood Overheads
Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D.
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T cells and B cells
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What happens as we age?
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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.
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Primary or Secondary aging?
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Not sure if this is primary / secondary aging.
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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.
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T cells and B cells
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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.
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Argument
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Therefore, if this is the case – that the
immune system functioning is directly
related to cumulative stress….
We would expect:
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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.
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What does the research
show?
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There are age differences in health and
death rates.
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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.
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Why the differences?
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Health habits
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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.
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Mental Health Problems
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Optimal health found in young
adulthood except for mental health
problems
Developed countries – 25-44 highest
rate of emotional disturbance
Why?
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Young adulthood greatest expectations
Greatest role conflict and role strain
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Cognitive Functioning
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Peak early adulthood
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IQ peaks at about 30 and steadily declines
thereafter
Werner Schaie – Seattle longitudinal study
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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.
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Cognitive Functioning
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Cattel and Horn’s Intelligences
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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
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Memory
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Maintenance of memory
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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
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Social Support
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The role of social support
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Lower risk of disease
Death
Depression
Adequacy of social support matters
Judith Rodin (1990) perceived control
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Bandura
Rotter
Studies coming out of Finland
Seligman – learned helplessness; learned optimism
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Grant Study
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35 year Grant Study
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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.
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Grant Study
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Those who were pessimistic at 25 had
significantly poorer health after 45
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What if we improve control?
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Rodin and Langer
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Mortality rates of nursing home residents
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Love – American Style
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Finding a partner
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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
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Murstein – at first – external characteristics
Then match for atitudes and beliefs
Same expectations
Sexual compatibility?
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Love
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The role of similarity
The role of assortive mating
South
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National sample 2000 unmarried adults
Women marry up
Men marry down
What do they care about?
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Love and attachment
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The role of attachment
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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
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Sternberg
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Intimacy
Passion
commitment
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Ted Huston
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How marriages change
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168 couples
First marriage
Each partner interviewed at length
Early months versus later months
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Good vs. bad marriages
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Skills, resources, traits
Couples with better resources
Gottman (1994)
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Validating
Volatile
Avoidant
Hostile/engaged
Hostile/detached
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Cohabitation? Does it help?
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Bumpass and Sweet
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Cohabitation rates
Why cohabitate? Assumption
(Sternberg)
Results
DeMaris and Leslie
Homosexual partners
The role of parenthood on marriage
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