Can Creativity and Cognitive Reserve Predict Psychological Well-Being in Older Adults? The Role of Divergent Thinking in Healthy Aging

The maintenance of psychological well-being (PWB) in the older adult population is a
pivotal goal for our rapidly aging society. PWB is a multicomponent construct that can be influenced
by several factors in the lifespan. The beneficial role of divergent thinking (DT) and cognitive reserve
(CR) in sustaining older subjects’ PWB has been scarcely investigated so far. The present study aims
to investigate the relationships between DT, CR, and PWB in a sample of 121 healthy older adults
(61 females; M age: 73.39 ± 6.66 years; M education: 11.33 ± 4.81 years). The results highlight
that better DT performance predicts higher CR, which mediates an indirect positive effect of DT on
emotional competence, one of the PWB factors. It follows that DT and CR can be considered protective
factors in aging, and their effects go beyond cognitive functioning, revealing a positive effect even
on some PWB components. The practical implications regarding targeted health interventions
for prevention in the older adult population to support well-being and promote healthy aging
are discussed.