Mental Health

Aging Boosts Trust

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Mar 19, 2015 05:28 PM EDT

Aging increases trust, according to a new study.

Researchers found evidence that trust increases as people age. They believe that this phenomenon may help boost wellbeing.

"When we think of old age, we often think of decline and loss," study co-author Claudia Haase, an assistant professor of Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy, said in a news release.

"But a growing body of research shows that some things actually get better as we age," Haase said. "Our new findings show that trust increases as people get older and, moreover, that people who trust more are also more likely to experience increases in happiness over time."

After conducting two studies, researchers found a link between trust and wellbeing as people age.

"For Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers alike, levels of trust increase as people get older," Haase added. "People really seem to be 'growing to trust' as they travel through their adult years."

"We know that older people are more likely to look at the bright side of things," she added. "As we age, we may be more likely to see the best in other people and forgive the little letdowns that got us so wary when we were younger."

"Our findings suggest that trust may be an important resource for successful development across the life span," Haase concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

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